DETROIT — Tobias Harris smirked as he gave his reply.
He performed in opposition to the Knicks within the playoffs final 12 months whereas with the 76ers, and is doing so as soon as once more this 12 months as a key starter on the Pistons.
What has he observed concerning the persona of this 12 months’s Knicks workforce in comparison with final 12 months?
“It’s a different dynamic, for sure,” Harris stated Thursday morning at shootaround forward of Recreation 3. “That’s all I’m gonna say. … It’s part of our gameplan.”
The Knicks made two blockbuster trades and spent vital capital over the offseason to accumulate Karl-Anthony Cities and Mikal Bridges with a purpose to elevate right into a contender that would compete with the Celtics and different elite groups within the East. However they misplaced Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo within the commerce for Cities and Isaiah Hartenstein exited in free company.
Randle, DiVincenzo and Hartenstein supplied a lot of the Knicks’ grit final 12 months as three of their hardest and most bodily gamers. That identification has been manifestly lacking this 12 months with out them.
And thru the primary two video games of the collection, the Pistons — who’ve constructed their popularity throughout this breakout season on outmuscling opponents — bullied the Knicks by way of their physicality and aggressiveness.
Final 12 months, the Knicks have been often the bullies. That was definitely true after they beat Harris’ 76ers in six video games within the first spherical.
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Within the first two video games of this collection, the Pistons threw the primary punches and the Knicks performed off their again foot.
“We’re just playing super hard. Coming in, trying to set the tone, be aggressive,” Ausar Thompson stated Thursday morning. “Make the refs and the other team adjust to us.”
Harris himself has largely matched up with Cities, who has 4 inches and 22 kilos on him. On paper, that ought to enable Cities to impose his measurement on Harris and different Pistons defenders.
However he had probably not been capable of by means of the primary two video games.
“I definitely embrace it,” Harris stated. “For me, it’s just being physical. Making sure he’s taking tough looks. Make sure every look that he’s getting, he’s gotta work for it.”
