Magic Johnson's big advice to Knicks involves major decision around $80,915,280 forward

The New York Knicks are teetering on the edge of elimination following the Indiana Pacers' 130–121 win in Game 4, which gave Indiana a commanding 3–1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. NBA icon Magic Johnson weighed in, urging the Knicks to return to the formula that powered their playoff run in the first place.

In Game 4, the Knicks opted to go bigger, inserting Mitchell Robinson into the starting five over Josh Hart. Robinson played just under 19 minutes, tallying six points and seven boards but finishing with a team-worst minus-20 rating.

Hart, who is in the first year of a four-year, $80,915,280 contract with the Knicks, meanwhile, logged nearly 36 minutes off the bench, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds with a minus-1 rating.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Johnson gave his advice bluntly.

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“A message to the New York Knicks: Go back to what got you to the Eastern Conference Finals - that’s having Josh Hart in the starting lineup,” he said.

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Outside of All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks have struggled to maintain offensive consistency and have been unable to slow down Indiana’s attack.

In Game 4, Tyrese Haliburton erupted with a triple-double — 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds with zero turnovers. Pascal Siakam chipped in 30 more.

Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points, followed by Towns with 24, OG Anunoby with 22 and Mikal Bridges with 17.

Jalen Brunson points to Knicks’ discipline in Game 4 loss

Only 13 teams in NBA history have climbed back from a 3–1 hole, making the Knicks' path ahead daunting.

After the Game 4 loss, Jalen Brunson didn’t sugarcoat things, pointing to a lack of discipline, including his own.

"We weren't disciplined tonight, I wasn't disciplined tonight,” he said. “We've just got to be smarter, I've got to be smarter. It's really that black and white."

The Knicks haven’t appeared in the NBA Finals since 1999. The most recent team to overcome a 3-1 deficit was the 2020 Denver Nuggets, who did it twice that postseason.

Game 5 is set for Thursday at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks hope to stay alive, despite having lost both home games in the series so far.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro