What’s worse than losing at home? Losing at home back-to-back after leading for a considerable amount of time in both games. And that’s exactly the disaster that the Knicks are dealing with in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. But their point guard, Jalen Brunson, has a solution: collective responsibility.

The New York Knicks lost Game 2 tonight by 5 points after being up by 3 at the start of the second half. Now, they had great individual showings. Brunson scored 36, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges both grabbed 20 apiece. Despite this, they lost to a Pacers side who only had one player cross the 20-point threshold – Pascal Siakam. So what secret sauce are the Knicks missing? Here’s what Jalen Brunson thinks.

“Obviously, we can finger-point and say this is wrong. That’s wrong. And say it’s this person’s fault, that person’s fault. But I mean, collectively, we gotta get it together. That’s really it,” said Brunson. He also felt this was the right time to reiterate how much he believes in the players around him and their ability to get the job done.

“I’ve said this so many times that I’ve got utmost confidence and trust in our teammates. We’ve been in positions where you’ve been counted out, and we find a way to win. So, just one step at a time,” he said. Jalen hit the nail on the head.

After a rousing pep talk from their point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers flipped the switch. They came together as a team, scoring 65 points in the second half to put the game out of the Knicks’ reach. Haliburton and Co. had fewer turnovers, fewer unassisted field goals, and looked more in sync with each other. Put simply, they were the better team than the Knicks. Which is why they were able to outscore the Knicks so easily, despite only Siakam having a standout game.

But there are things the Knicks can do to make sure that things don’t get worse after Game 3.

Jalen Brunson and the Knicks NEED to play better as a team in Game 3

You see, the Knicks stumbled out of the gate in Game 2, but they’ve got the pieces to turn it around. Jalen Brunson looked sharp with his double-double (36 points and 11 assists), so he’s clearly ready to carry the load. Now, he just needs more help from his teammates, especially on defense.

New York’s bench has to step up. Mitchell Robinson was a defensive force, grabbing nine boards, so maybe he deserves more play time. And Miles McBride showed energy sparks; those hustle plays can swing momentum at the right time. If Brunson can trust those guys to hold down the fort, he can focus on creating shots rather than playing hero ball every possession. That was Kobe’s thing, anyway.

You see, ball movement is the Knicks’ secret sauce. In Game 2, Indiana locked in during the second half and stopped the easy looks. This essentially killed the Knicks’ momentum. So instead of isolations, swing the rock, find the open man, and get those clean threes. Brunson’s court vision is elite — he just needs to turn up those kick-outs to spread the Pacers thin. Lastly, stars like Josh Hart and OG Anunoby need to turn it up because it’s now or never!

All in all, it’s about balance. Brunson leads, but the bench backs him, the bigs protect the rim, and everyone shares the ball. THAT’s teamwork. And if they can pull that off, Game 3 in Indiana could feel a lot less intimidating.