The ink was almost dry. The hole was dug, the casket was picked and Spike and Chalamet were chosen as pallbearers. Hell, we’re all finally ready for it to be baseball season in this town. But then the Knicks said “not so fast” and dug their heels in. It wasn’t just the Knicks, but it was the Knicks bench, a unit that had cobwebs come off of it as they entered the game. Brunson and Towns were foolishly in foul trouble (something that has to stop) and the Pacer lead was 16, so Thibs pointed to Delon Wright for the second game in a row. He even remembered Landry Shamet existed, who likely looked at Tom and said “who me?!” when it was time to go in. But they along with Deuce McBride and Josh Hart sparked a rally that Towns and Brunson would punctuate as the Knicks got back in the Eastern Final with a 106-100 win.

Now let me get a quick disclaimer in here. Yours truly passed on watching this contest live. I know, I know, I’m a bad fan for it but after having my heart ripped out in game 1 and cursing my TV out during game 2, Ms. Broadway Breakdown and I got away from it all for some Sunday evening fun. I checked the score then gave up on that too when it was a blow out. Fortunately some smart fellow Knick fan friends alerted me to the rally but made sure to tell me “don’t put the game on, they’re winning without you watching.” So I went back to eating my ice cream and rambling about the wonder of Bruce Springsteen. When we came home Briana wanted to put the game on and I exclaimed “DONT TOUCH THE REMOTE!” Superstitions work sometimes, and they did last night, so I guess I can’t watch game four either! So after watching all the highlights and MSG postgame analysis I come to you full of hope that this team can turn things around.

I already mentioned the unlikely fashion that this happened, but it has to be emphasized as truly mind boggling considering how these things usually go. If I told you “the Knicks will win game three in dramatic fashion,” you would have said “Brunson and the rest of the starters must have done the job.” But you’d be dead wrong as outside of OG, who once again didn’t get enough touches late in a game where was excelling, the starting five was held in check. JB and KAT’s aforementioned foul trouble derailed their early numbers and Mikal Bridges was…well he was Mikal Bridges. Mitchell Robinson started over Josh Hart, and contributed well enough early, but seemed to burn himself out. I admire Thibs for being bold enough to change the five now, but Mitch is probably better suited to subbing in off the bench for energetic impact.

Thibs kept up the bold strategy going with a mish mosh of bench guys and core players to swing the game New York’s way! Josh Hart and Karl Anthony Towns were the only regulars on the floor for long stretches with Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet and Delon Wright. McBride put on a clinic at both ends of the floor as the third quarter wound down, cutting the Indy lead to eight. Shamet and Wright chipped offensively as well, all of which set the stage for KAT’s best sequence in a Knicks uniform. Big 32 went off in the fourth with 20 points in the frame, which featured him putting Andrew Nembhard on a poster for the lead!

Brunson came back in with four fouls, hit a clutch runner for the lead (what else is new?), one the Knicks would not relinquish as Hart grabbed some big boards and they finished off a critical win. So where does this series go from here? It’s probably safe to assume we’re in for another close battle in game four. It’s also probably safe to assume the Pacers will step their game up, and try to push the Knicks to the brink. Thibs will have to adjust once again, which hasn’t been his best trait in this playoff run, and the Knicks will have to be A LOT better. Brunson and Towns have to stay out of foul trouble and step it up on the defensive end of the floor. An improved defensive effort is the only viable path to winning this series, as without it feels like all this team can do is extend the series.

Will last nights gritty effort mean anything in the long run? Only time will tell. But at least the Knicks gave the fans one more awesome night at MSG, as the watch party went wild. Hope is one hell of a drug, it can lift you from the lowest of lows and make you feel the world can be conquered. So for this Memorial Day hope is back in the air in The Big Apple! Here’s to it staying that way…KNICKS IN SIX!

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.