On a night when the Knicks bench was short on the rest of the lineup, Bojan Bogdanovic gave the home team a much-needed offensive boost in the fourth quarter despite dealing with a sore wrist.
Acquired at the last minute at the trade deadline, he knocked down two momentum-changing treys to salvage New York’s dwindling advantage and set the stage for a thrilling 104-101 Game 2 victory.
When Bogdanovic was brought on with 10:46 remaining, the Knicks’ offense stalled, missing four consecutive shots to start the final period. The 5 point difference narrowed to 1 point.
Bogdanovic quickly made one trey, then another. The Knicks regained control, and this series of moves certainly caught the attention of Sixers coach Nick Nurse.
“That was just another little bit of a difference in the game,” Nurse said. “They’re just bringing in more and more guys who can shoot 3s and sometimes just sacking them so they’re not as open. And they’re making it… and the way the game plays out is still , I think it was the same as the other night. They made a couple in a row. Then all of a sudden they had a bunch of seven point games. We got shot. They keep bringing them in.”
Bogdanovic came on as a substitute to appreciative applause from the crowd.
“There were a lot of contributions from a lot of different people,” Tom Thibodeau said. “When the bogey came, I hit a big shot and thought I was starting No. 4.”
The first two games of the playoffs were encouraging for Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic admitted Monday that he feels the effects of pain in his injured left wrist “sometimes.”
“It hurts. It sure hurts, it is what it is,” the Knicks reserve said. “I’m continuing treatment and trying to get better. That’s where I am right now.”
Bogandovich was first listed on the injury report on April 6 with what the Knicks called a “wrist sprain.”
However, he never missed a game and his X-rays were negative. He played better all season and emerged as one of the unsung heroes in Saturday’s first round of the playoffs.
He followed that up with even bigger and more important moments.
The Knicks had no finalists for NBA postseason individual awards.
The league announced Sunday the three finalists in each category, including MVP, Sixth Man of the Year, Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, chosen by media votes. .
The absence wasn’t a shock, but Tom Thibodeau was a dark horse after winning 50 games with an injury-riddled roster. His defense attorney was Josh Hart.
“50 wins, 2nd seed, injured for half the season, and not a candidate for Coach of the Year…” Hart tweeted.
The finalists for Coach of the Year are Minnesota’s Chris Finch, Orlando’s Jamal Mosley and OKC’s Mark Denault. The league announced four awards will be announced this week on TNT: Most Improved Award (Tuesday), Sixth Man Award (Wednesday), Clutch Player Award (Thursday) and Coach of the Year Award (Sunday).
The Knicks could continue to acquire All-NBA and All-Defense players.
Jalen Brunson is projected to finish on the All-NBA first or second team.
“I’m not worried about that,” Donte DiVincenzo said of being excluded as a finalist. “I think collectively we understand our goals and what we want to accomplish. … If we can all come together and accomplish one goal, we can all play well. Therefore, individual praise is not necessary.
