The first round is heated up as almost everyone out there has activated their revenge mode. The Lakers choked the Wolves; then the Clippers grabbed the Nuggets by its neck; similarly, Monday caught the New York Knicks off guard. Game 1 was theirs—clean, confident, and convincing. Detroit looked like an easy read. But then came Game 2. Cade Cunningham flipped the script and suddenly, the Knicks were chasing shadows. Even Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson couldn’t crack the code. The Pistons, hungry for redemption, pounced and got their win. Now, Game 3 looms large. And the Knicks? They’ve got work to do—fast.

The Pistons crashed the boards like it was a finals game, outmuscling the Knicks by 14 rebounds in a gritty 100-94 win at the Garden. With 12 offensive boards turning into 13 second-chance points, Detroit made hustle its headline. Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Tobias Harris all cleaned the glass in double digits. Meanwhile, the Knicks? They snoozed through most of it—until a too-late fourth-quarter spark.

Now, Coach Thibs spoke to the media before the third game at Little Caesars Arena. The reporters wanted to know about his thoughts on KAT and Mitchell Robinson on the floor together. What can the fans see from that grouping? “There’s been some good. Obviously, there are some that we could do better,” the veteran coach stated. Addressing their rebounding troubles, the 67-year-old added: “The rebounding part of it has been good. But, also, you gotta look at the matchups. Who do they have on the floor? And then, you know, what are you vulnerable to? And so, there are times it’s been really good.” Simply put, Thibodeau is looking for opportunities to exploit the loopholes that the Pistons’ lineup and strategy may have in Game 3.

Meanwhile, the reporters wanted to know whether Karl-Anthony Towns makes a conscious effort to get more involved if he’s not getting enough shots in the second half? Thibs said: “Well, I think part of it is, you know, if they’re gonna commit to two and three people on them, I don’t want them forcing shots. But there are things that he could also do and we can do, to get him a second and third look. So that’s what we have to try to do. And then I think, you know, there are ways in transition that we can search him out as well.”

Tom Thibodeau isn’t blaming Towns for staying quiet under pressure. When defenders double or triple him, forcing shots isn’t the answer. Still, there’s room to tweak. The New York Knicks can run plays that give him second looks or find him early in transition. In short, it’s not about forcing it. It’s about finessing it.

Speaking of KAT, the 29-year-old center has a request for the Knicks locker room. This message comes at a time when their strategies need to be spot-on as there’s so much at stake heading into Game 3.

Karl-Anthony Towns makes urgent Knicks locker room demands ahead of their third game

It’s only natural for Karl-Anthony Towns to hope for an improved game on Wednesday. They cannot make the same mistakes again and sabotage their chances of heading into the second round. Thus, speaking to the media about the concerning rebounding troubles, the 29-year-old said:

“We watched tape. I watched tape myself, and, you know, we’ve had, you know, two days to fix it and get ourselves right mentally and physically for tomorrow.” The Knicks have had two days to fix their problems, and now it’s time for the showdown. So now the question is, have they been able to make corrections in the last couple of days? KAT simply said, “We need to.”

So now, it’s go time for the Knicks. Tom Thibodeau has mapped out the matchups. Karl-Anthony Towns has sounded the alarm. They’ve studied the tape, patched the gaps, and talked the talk. Now, it’s all about walking into Game 3 ready—or watching it all slip away.