The New York Knicks’ championship aspirations took a massive hit after losing Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks now trail the Indiana Pacers 3-1 heading into Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, May 29.
Star players Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 and 24 points, respectively, so they both seemingly had impressive nights despite the defeat.
However, Towns especially has come under scrutiny from one ex-NBA player for letting his team down in Game 4.
Former second overall pick Jay Williams called Towns out for “hindering” the Knicks in Game 4.
The 29-year-old’s impressive stat line, 24 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists, masks his poor performance on the defensive end.
Towns has failed to deal with the Pacers’ fast breaks so far in this series, hence they are averaging a remarkable 120.5 points per game.
Williams explained: “I feel like sometimes, when I watch KAT and Jalen Brunson, I wonder if it’s a bit of ‘fool’s gold.’ Obviously, I know what KAT can do offensively, but where they were defensively is the problem.
“Look, last night, [they had] 17 turnovers and 22 points in transition for Indy. There were so many times where KAT wasn’t even on the screen defensively when these possessions were going through, with how fast these breaks were.
“People at the game were talking to me about Thibs telling KAT in Game 4 that you can’t jog back on defense. Go watch the tape. I sat there for nearly two hours last night watching a lot of this tape over and over. There are so many plays where I don’t see KAT in the play.
“I know that they play more minutes than a lot of other starters, but in a game like this, when your rotation is what it is. If you get tired, ask to come out of the game. You’re hindering your team.”
Brunson and Towns shared similar comments about the Knicks’ shortcomings after their disappointing Game 4 defeat to the Pacers.
“We weren’t disciplined tonight,” Brunson said. “I wasn’t disciplined tonight. We’ve just got to be smarter. I’ve got to be smarter. It’s really that black and white.”
Towns added: “We’ve all got to be better, for him and with him. We’ve got to be better as a team. It’s unfortunate that we all couldn’t find a way to win tonight, but we found a way to do it in all the other series.”
As Williams pointed out, the pair doesn’t need to provide more offensively. Instead, the difference will be whether they can step up defensively in Game 5.
