Towns understands his place within the Knicks now.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been searching for the right fit in New York for two seasons now, and after talking to reporters at Knicks practice on Friday, it sounds like he's finally found it.
The 30-year-old big man got into his expanded facilitator role, the one that has been the engine behind New York's run to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.
His playoff numbers are career-bests across the board.
Listening to him, this is a guy who has settled in and isn't fighting it anymore.
A Role He Always Wanted
Towns went to the coaching staff in the middle of the first round, after the Knicks fell behind 2-1 to Atlanta, asking them to run more through him.
The shift has worked.
New York's offense has steamrolled people ever since, and Towns sounded happy talking about how natural it feels.
"I didn't have no expectations cuz I didn't know what to expect," Towns said. "I've always loved this role. I've always wanted this role. So, I'm just happy we got to this point."
That mindset shows up everywhere in his numbers.
Towns is averaging 16.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists a game this postseason while shooting 58 percent from the floor.
The assist mark nearly doubles his regular season number of 3.2.
New York has ripped off seven straight wins over that stretch by an average of more than 26 points a night.
Passing Has Powered the Run
Towns talked about why all of this clicks for him, and his answer was just about as team-first as it gets.
He's averaged 22 points a game across his career.
The Knicks swept the 76ers in four straight, and Towns closed out the Hawks with his first career playoff triple-double.
He's doing it with passes instead of buckets.
"I've always said since the beginning, I'll do whatever it takes to impact winning," Towns said. "I'm glad that I've been able to do that with this change of role and be able to help our team win and utilize my talent."
Why New York Should Be Favored
The Knicks finished 53-29 and grabbed the third seed, and they're sitting back watching the Pistons and Cavaliers settle Game 7 on Sunday.
Detroit went 60-22 in the regular season, the best mark in the East, but had to claw out a road win in Game 6 to force Sunday.
Cleveland, at 52-30, just got blown out at home and is banged up after a long series. New York has had over a week to rest and is clicking on both ends.
Mike Brown's offense is humming, Jalen Brunson should look like himself again after a rough first round, and a Towns dishing seven assists a night opens up things the Knicks didn't have last spring.
Towns sounds settled, the supporting cast is playing its best ball of the year, and the path to the Finals is wide open.
New York should be the favorite when Game 1 tips off Tuesday.