What went wrong in the Knicks’ Game Five loss?

It was over. Just like it was over in 1995 when Game 1 was supposed to be over. Last night’s game was the most fun that I had watching a Knicks game since the ’90s, and the energy in the building felt like it did in 1995. The Knicks had it! They were just 25 seconds away from moving on to the second round to face, of all teams, Indiana. Then they got Reggie’d.

The Knicks didn’t just get Reggie’d, Tyrese Maxey gave the Knicks a full cast of legends during the final 25 seconds of play. First, the Knicks got dealt a dose of their historic miracle on 34th street, à la Larry Johnson’s four-point play in 1999, when Maxey got Mitchell Robinson to bite on the pump fake. He drew enough contact for a whistle before launching a three from almost the exact same elbow as LJ, just on the opposite end of the court. After the game Robinson was quoted saying, “I mean, I’m gonna just take it like a man. [...] I f****d up.”

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Then the Knicks got Curry’d when Maxey practically jogged the ball up to right in between the “N” and the “E” of the NEW YORK logo at mid-court and drained a bomb of a 35-foot three-pointer, which was hardly contested by any of the five Knicks on the floor.

The big question coming out of the quarter was, ”Why didn’t the Knicks foul in the moment?”

Per Coach Thibodeau, “In those situations, you know, you talk about what you want to do,” Thibodeau said. “They’re out of timeouts and Josh has got two free throws. [The lead is] two. So you have to communicate what your decisions are. We could have done better in that situation, and we will. … We could have [fouled on that play]. That’s, you know. But we’ll leave it at that.”

Jalen Brunson reiterated a similar sentiment. “I think we’ve just got to be on the same page, all five of us. I think some of us thought that we were going to foul. We weren’t. And that’s on me — I have to be ready to communicate things like that on the court. Yeah, I’ve got to do a better job of leading.”

Knicks got gassed: There is no doubt that the Knicks couldn’t afford to lose Bogdanovic for the remainder of the playoffs. Already down Julius Randle, the Knicks used just a seven-man rotation last night. Three players (Hart, Brunson, and Anunoby) each played 50 minutes or more. Hart played all 53 minutes. Overtime aside, such a short rotation can only go so far. Thibs could’ve gone to his bench, even if it were just for a few quick breathers, but by the end of the fourth and into overtime, the team looked beyond gassed. Even if the Knicks win Game 6, they have a long way to go until the end, and 45+ minutes a game from now through June is not sustainable through the playoffs.

The Knicks got careless: Bad shots, bad passes, turnovers, all of which played a significant role during the final 5 minutes. There were quick threes that didn’t need to be taken. There was Brunson’s final turnover that iced the game in Philly’s favor. Did Brunson rush the shot and then be forced into making an errant pass to avoid being blocked, or should he have even attempted to take that shot to begin with, as it was quick into the play, and the Knicks had time to work it around? Hartenstein was already on his way towards the basket as Brunson threw it away.

Free Throws: Josh Hart who has been the Knicks warrior on all ends of the court played every second last night. Nobody is perfect and players miss free throws especially under pressure and in crunch time. Hart admitted that he had to “take it on the chin” for missing the free throw that would’ve iced the game before Maxey’s final shot in regulation, but he also re-affirmed the same sentiments as Brunson and Coach Thibs did regarding the late game fouling miscommunication. “(It) was an error on the guys on the court, we gotta make sure we know what the situation is.”

At the end of the day though, the Knicks shot just 66% from the charity stripe. The Sixers didn’t do much better, shooting just 68% from the line. Shaq will be the first to admit that the most important part about free throw shooting is to make them when they matter most.

So, what do you feel was the main factor in last night’s disappointing end?