The Knicks insist that the impact of game 1 of thousands of McBride goes beyond boxscore.
He failed to score in 15 minutes since the duration of the bank. 123-112 Victoria over the Pistons on Saturday night In Madison Square Garden, but found ways to contribute to other areas.
He added four assists, a rebound and a robbery, and brought an element to the Knicks that is key against a young Pistons team.
“I really thought the speed of the game, that was important for us,” said coach Tom Thibodeau after practice on Sunday. “When we had the two points of guard together on the floor, we had to play with that, and when we put our defense and we are playing fast, there are advantages in that.”
Or McBride’s 15 minutes, eight came with Jalen Brunson on the court, for NBA.com follow -up statistics.
Some of that was driven by Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, entering problems early, but Thibodeau could continue using the alignment of two base points if the pistons begin to hurt the Knicks in the transition.
The Pistons had the 11th highest pace (100.27 possessions for 48 minutes) in the regular season and averaged 18.5 quick rest points per game more in the NBA.
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The Knicks, on the contrary, occupied the 26th position in rhythm (97.64 possessions for 48 minutes) and 14th in transition score (15.7 fast rest points per game).
It could be a clear face to face for the Knicks in the series, but it was almost in game 1: the Pistons had 22 fast rest points, while the Knicks were 19.
McBride was, and continually being, key to close that gap.
“Things [McBride] He is able to do it on both sides of the ball is fantastic, “said Jalen Brunson on Sunday.” I think we play very well from each other. I believe that the chemistry we have in recent years has definitely helped. If he is he or someone else, I feel that we are outside, we have to have a great chemistry, which I feel that this team does. “
