After losing the first two East Finals games at MSG, Tom Thibodeau knew he needed to rethink his strategy to overcome this deficit. So, in Game 3, he made a pivotal move, promoting Mitchell Robinson to the starting lineup and sending Josh Hart to the bench. And guess what? The risk paid off, as Jalen Brunson and Co. dominated the Pacers with the dual big men lineup and stole a win in Indiana.

Pleased with the outcome, Thibodeau went with the same starting five in Game 4. He even backed his decision pregame, “We had a number of guys step up and play well. And it’s not really about who’s starting, it’s about how you finish. So, we had a number of guys step up and play well.” Unfortunately, this time, the Pacers were prepared for the challenge and ended up blowing the Knicks out anyway.

Following Tuesday’s nine-point loss, the Knicks realized that their struggles are far from over. Now, they are only one loss away from their historic season coming to a brutal end, trying to figure out a way to force Game 6. Surprisingly, Lakers legend Magic Johnson came to their rescue, as he gave the Knicks a key advice that could possibly help end their misery.

“A message to the New York Knicks: Go back to what got you to the Eastern Conference Finals – that’s having Josh Hart in the starting lineup,” the Hall of Famer tweeted, urging Coach Thibs to promote Hart back into the starting lineup and rely on the original rotation that won them the previous two series.

Prior to Game 3, Hart had started every game for the entire year, including the regular season and playoffs. Even in the closeout game against the Celtics, he made history by becoming the first Knicks player to record a triple-double in the playoffs since Clyde Frazier in 1972. So, Magic’s suggestion to bring him back into the starting lineup could give the Knicks the initial boost they need to get an early lead on the Pacers. Maybe, they will be also be able to correct the mistakes from Tuesday’s loss.

Magic Johnson and Karl-Anthony Towns say the same thing about Knicks’ biggest concern against Pacers

Before Magic made the Hart suggestion to the Knicks, he also highlighted where they were lacking in Game 4. “Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton made NBA history tonight becoming the first player with a triple double and no turnovers scoring 32 points, 15 assists, and 13 rebounds. Indiana forward Pascal Siakam chipped in 30 points in the Pacers 130-121 win over the Knicks. The key to the Pacers victory is that they played fast all night long and wore Knicks down,” he tweeted.

Yes, while the Pacers brought their A game and were full of energy all night, the Knicks seemed fatigued as the game progressed. The Indiana team’s fast-paced offense proved too much to handle for them. Even Karl-Anthony Towns shared the same concern following the tough loss: “We didn’t match their pace. I know you’re gonna say that, but desperation too. I think we just didn’t match what we needed to do tonight to start the game and its true fashion to our whole playoff run… We just didn’t have that magic tonight.”

Meanwhile, Thibodeau blamed his team’s 17 turnovers for their lacklustre performance, “We knew it was gonna be a fast game. The priority was defensive transition. But we hurt ourselves with our turnovers, putting them in the open floor.” Even then, the Knicks were beaten by the Pacers’ pace and endurance. That’s where Josh Hart can help.

He is used to playing heavy minutes, as he averaged 37.6 minutes during the regular season, and he could provide an early boost to the Knicks. Do you think Thibodeau should follow Magic’s advice and put Hart back in the starting five for tomorrow’s Game 5?