The Knicks may have to go deep into their bench in this matchup.
Deuce McBride is not interested in looking back at what went wrong last spring, and he is not thinking ahead to what might come next either.
The New York Knicks guard spoke at Friday's practice about how his team is handling the start of a new postseason, one that begins Saturday night at Madison Square Garden against the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks.
When asked about the lessons from last year's Eastern Conference Finals loss to Indiana, McBride kept his answer simple and direct.
"We try not to look in the past in that sense of what did we necessarily do wrong," McBride said. "We're kind of focused more on this is our challenge this year... We have to take it step by step. We can't really pull from last year or look ahead. We have to be in the moment now."
What McBride Brings to This Series
That mindset matters for a team that had its season end in six games against the Pacers last June, a series where McBride played a real part on both ends of the floor.
He was the one who made a key steal off Tyrese Haliburton in a pivotal moment of that closeout game, but the play fell apart when a teammate's wild lob bounced off the backboard and gave Indiana a fast break the other way.
Moments like that one can eat at a player, and McBride is making it clear that dwelling on them is not the approach this group is taking.
McBride averaged 12.0 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game this season while shooting 41.3 percent from three, but his year was interrupted by sports hernia surgery in February that kept him out for 28 straight games.
He returned in late March and has been working through residual soreness ever since, something he has been open about while still insisting he feels good enough to contribute.
How the Rotation Could Look
Head coach Mike Brown is expected to start Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart against Atlanta.
That starting five helped the Knicks finish 53-29 and earn the third seed, while Brunson led the way all season averaging 26.0 points and 6.8 assists per game.
Off the bench, McBride figures to split backcourt minutes alongside Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson, with Mitchell Robinson anchoring the reserve frontcourt.
Jose Alvarado could also factor in depending on how McBride's body holds up as the series goes on.
The Hawks went 46-36 and enter this series riding one of the best stretches in the league since the All-Star break, going 22-9 after February 1 behind the breakout play of Jalen Johnson and the veteran scoring of CJ McCollum.
New York took the regular season series 2-1, but each game was tight and both wins came by just three points.
None of that history matters to McBride right now, though. He wants this team locked in on Saturday night and nothing else.