Karl-Anthony Towns Doubles Down on Claim After Loss to Pacers as Knicks Locker Room Receives Clear Message

The Knicks are slowly going down a hole they might be unable to get out of. On Wednesday, they missed the golden opportunity of gaining an edge over the Pacers, as they blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. Last night was more of the same. Although the deficit was not as big, the New York team ended up losing yet again, going down 2-0 in the East Finals.

Well, going by the numbers, Jalen Brunson and Co.’s chances of making it to the NBA Finals are looking bleak. Since 1956, only 34 out of 463 times has a team won a playoff series after losing the first two games. That’s a 7.3% success rate. But turns out, Karl-Anthony Towns is not bothered by the unfavorable past.

When an interviewer asked about his mindset following yesterday’s loss, reminding him of the Knicks’ low chances of success, KAT immediately cut him off, “I don’t worry about that. I told you about the word ‘history’ I’m not here to repeat it. We’re here to make it.” It’s a similar claim to what Towns made after Game 1, “I mean, it’s our job to make history. So, we’re not here to repeat history, we’re here to make history.” He doubled down last night.

Moreover, the Center emphasized that anything is possible in the NBA and the series is far from over, “If I’ve learned anything, especially last year, as quick as you win two games is as quick as you can lose two games. Just bank on my experience and we just gotta execute at a high level.” Last year, KAT was on the winning end of a 2-0 lead. He was still on the Wolves roster and won the first two games against the Nuggets in the West Semis. But Nikola Jokic and Co. turned things around and forced Game 7. Even though Denver ended up losing, Towns realized that a comeback from this deficit is possible. But that would require the Knicks to bring their A game going forward.

Karl-Anthony Towns has one demand from Knicks locker room after disappointing Game 2 performance

A major reason the Knicks have lost both games is their inability to start strong. Even last night, they never looked in control and were left chasing the Pacers the entire night. Realizing the mistake, Towns sent a clear message to the locker room for the upcoming games, “We put ourselves in a deficit. Told you how we can’t keep doing that. It’s not gonna be every time we’re able to fight back and find ourselves with a win. So, just gotta execute with more discipline.”

Yes, the odds will be stacked against the Knicks when they head to Indiana for Games 3 and 4. So, they need to come out with a sense of urgency and desperation to keep this series alive. Obviously, Towns will have to reassess his performance as well, because he was very disappointing last night. He scored just 20 points on 6 of 14 shooting. His struggles were so glaring that Tom Thibodeau benched him for nearly seven minutes in the final quarter. Towns needs to be better in Game 3 if the Knicks wish to stay alive because even though KAT is not bothered by history, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Knicks surely don’t want to be in that situation. Do you think they can survive in Indiana?