The Knicks, after falling 3-1 to the Pacers, now find themselves concerned with another potential loss. With just 2:11 left in Game 4 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals, Knicks’ star Towns and the Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith crashed into each other, and it appeared as if the former hurt his knee on the play.
Towns’ status for Game 5 is now in question – nothing has been declared one way or the other, but Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau, in the postgame press conference, responded to a question about Towns’ knee by saying that, “He was able to go back in, so that’s a good sign. We’ll see where he is after he gets evaluated.”
Following a brief timeout for a New York challenge, Towns would return to the court for the final two minutes of regulation. It was clear that his knee was in pain during that time, as he was not moving as he had been before the collision, though, as said, the extent of what is going on with his knee is unknown, and will remain so until he’s evaluated.
[Related: NBA East Finals: Knicks on the brink of elimination; can the Pacers clinch in Game 5?]
It is worth pointing out that this is possibly nothing to fret about – as Thibodeau said, Towns returning to the game is a good sign. However, with just two minutes to go, and adrenaline certainly a factor, that in and of itself is not a guarantee of anything. Earlier in these very playoffs, LeBron James temporarily exited Game 5 of the Lakers’ series against the Timberwolves, before returning to finish out the final 7:23 of the game. A postgame medical analysis revealed an MCL sprain, which would have cost James a Game 6, if there had been one, and beyond, given that the recovery time for even a mild MCL sprain is counted in weeks, not days.
That being said, it’s not clear that anything that severe is wrong with Towns, by any means, or that anything at all is wrong outside of feeling a little off following colliding with another player – just that the “good sign” Thibodeau spoke of only extends to the coming evaluation, and nothing more. How Towns feels on Thursday before Game 5, and that evaluation, will tell us a whole lot more about his condition than whether he was able to return for two more minutes of play following a challenge timeout.
Towns’ production has been invaluable these playoffs, as it was during the regular season. The seven-footer, acquired in a three-team offseason trade with the Wolves and Charlotte Hornets, averaged 24.4 points per game in the regular season, and is at 21.3, with 11.4 rebounds per game, through 16 postseason contests. His 24 points and 15 rebounds played a huge role in the Knicks’ lone win in the series against the Pacers in Game 3, as 20 of those 24 points came in the fourth quarter, allowing the Knicks to erase a 20-point deficit and ensure at least a Game 5.
The Knicks will host the Pacers for Game 5 as the Eastern Conference finals return to New York, at 8 pm E.T. on Thursday, May 29.
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