Two Adjustments That Would Save the Knicks' Playoff Hopes (And One That Wouldn't)

The New York Knicks need to make adjustments against the Atlanta Hawks, but one being pushed by fans isn't the answer | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks find themselves down 2-1 in their Round 1 series against the Atlanta Hawks after a 109-108 loss in Game 3 at State Farm Arena. Mike Brown will not be a popular man in Gotham if he loses his first series as the Knicks' head coach.

Game 3 flipped the script from New York's 107-106 Game 2 loss. At the Garden on Monday, the Knicks blew a comfortable double-digit lead, while on Thursday in Atlanta, the Hawks were the ones who held the lead for most of the game as New York clawed back only to fall short at the final buzzer.

This series has wildly thin margins. Brown has to do something about it, and there are two moves that could save his reputation in the Big Apple:

Playing McBride and Shamet together for a bench boost

Brown can't give up on what worked during the regular season, even if Landry Shamet has struggled with his shot in this series, going 1-for-7 from the field, including 1-for-6 from deep. Shamet and Deuce McBride were a defensive force together during the regular season (107.1 Defensive Rating when sharing the court) and need to rekindle that chemistry in playoff minutes.

Shamet shouldn't get more than 10-12 minutes per game, but McBride needs to be on the floor as much as he was in Game 3. He helped drive the comeback that fell short, but almost worked a miracle in Atlanta.

Deploying Pacôme Dadiet could bring relief in a pinch

Pacôme Dadiet has no meaningful postseason minutes in his career and has played 47 games over the past two seasons, mostly getting the bulk of his reps with the G League affiliate Westchester Knicks. At this point, though, he deserves a look as the Knicks get desperate looking for ways to slow down the Hawks' hyper-athletic lineup.

At 6'9", with a nine-foot standing reach, Dadiet is a wiry wing who is worth deploying if Mikal Bridges' disappearing act is going to continue.

With that said, there is one move Brown would regret:

More Mitchell Robinson minutes won't help

Before Game 3, Brown told fans why they shouldn't expect, or even want, more Mitchell Robinson minutes at the 5.

“You want [Mitch’s minutes] higher, but the only way it’s going to be higher — there’s two ways: you play Mitch and KAT together, or you play KAT less,” Brown said. “And the combination of the two of them right now hasn’t been great.”

Karl-Anthony Towns is the No. 2 option right now and is helping to keep the team afloat. Under no circumstances should he be given fewer than his 33 minutes per game. Robinson is a rebounding machine and a better rim protector and overall defender, but his free throw woes (41% FT) and penchant to foul—he had 2.1 fouls per game under 20 MPG—basically offset that.