You just knew Game 3 in Indiana was gonna be a brawl. Down 0-2, the New York Knicks are playing for their playoff lives against the Pacers, and with this thing a nail-biter in the fourth quarter, the tension is off the charts. But while the Knicks are out there fighting, a whole lot of their fans back in New York (and probably everywhere else) are absolutely losing it over one guy: Coach Tom Thibodeau. His lineups have been head-scratchers, fans are ticked off, and yet, somehow, a Pacer getting hurt might’ve just thrown these Knicks a bone.
Seriously, the heat on Thibs has been building, but tonight it just exploded. The “Knicksmuse” Twitter account summed up what every fan was thinking when the team was down 13 and Thibs had this lineup out there: Delon Wright, Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson. Season on the line, and that’s the five? Fans went nuts. The Twitter reactions were wild – everything from a simple “Fire thibs. Trade KAT and bridges for Giannis” to one fan telling Thibs to “sleep with one eye open” (yikes, and that’s the cleaned-up version). Another just asked, “Dan Hurley available?” It’s pretty clear Knicks fans are not happy with their coach.
But then, things got even crazier. In the third quarter, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith – who’s been a beast for Indiana in these playoffs and killed it in Game 1 – went down with a nasty-looking ankle injury. He was questionable to return however, showing his toughness, Nesmith has since returned to the game.
While Nesmith was briefly sidelined, the Knicks definitely seemed to catch a spark. They made a run, with live stats showing them as a +8 during his absence. For a moment, it looked like the unexpected break they desperately needed.
(This is a developing story…)
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