Kristian Winfield: The Knicks finally learned how to use Karl-Anthony Towns

INDIANAPOLIS — It took the Knicks 96 games to figure out what the rest of the basketball world could see — that Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the NBA’s most talented and prolific offensive threats at the center position — has been embarrassingly underutilized. That his lack of touches and shot attempts were not indicative of an inability to impose his own will, but rather a team that hadn’t effectively learned how to maximize its biggest weapon.

An 0-2 playoff series deficit on the greatest stage a franchise has seen in the last quarter century will teach a team a lot about itself. And the Knicks finally learned — and learned the hard way — that they have a trump card that could turn this series and give them a real shot at making the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

The only question is whether or not they played it too late.

In Game 3, Towns was the unstoppable offensive force the Knicks had always envisioned when they traded Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for his services last year. The issue was the Knicks couldn’t find ways to get him the ball — more specifically, that they prioritized their other perimeter scorers over the player who is paid $50 million annually to get buckets in bunches.

But this time, Jalen Brunson was in foul trouble, and the Knicks, in desperate need of stops, put four defensive specialists on the floor around their All-Star center in the fourth quarter.

They then did what they should have been doing all season long. They got Towns the ball and got out of the way.

The result? Possibly Towns’ most impactful performance of the playoffs — and a performance that may very well have saved the Knicks from an embarrassing conference finals sweep, while also reinforcing the idea that maybe, just maybe, this team can make history and join the eight percent of teams in NBA history who’ve lived to see the other end of losing the first two games of a playoff series and came out on top.

The Knicks’ All-Star center scored 20 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks — once again — came back from down 20 points to steal a playoff victory on the road. And now, their playoff hopes live to see another day.

And yet the question remains: Why? Why did it take so long for the Knicks to lean into their biggest strength? Why do the Knicks play their best basketball when defeat is staring them in the face? And most important: Why can’t the Knicks maximize Towns’ offensive potential in minutes he is on the floor with their captain and floor general?

If it is Brunson’s job to set the plate for his teammates, the KAT has been notably underfed all season. In Game 3, he made his own plate. On the menu: the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks need to find a way to get their two stars on the same page. Brunson’s five fouls kept him on the bench until late in the fourth quarter, but so did the obvious: The Knicks found ways to get Towns going on offense in ways that seemed impossible with their All-Star guard making the decisions.

Another puzzling development? The Pacers’ choke job. There were two different Indiana teams on display on Sunday night.

One team sought the mismatches, pushed the pace, and took advantage of a Knicks team that failed to meet the moment. The other Pacers team that showed face on Sunday? They were sellers. A group of deer put on the court in the second half before the headlights blared on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floors.

The Knicks can’t bank on another Pacers collapse. Yet in truth, they took far too long to take advantage of an Indiana team that couldn’t seal the deal at home.

For one reason or another, the Knicks live to see another day. Instead of falling down 0-3, they will show up to Game 4 trailing just 1-2. The win will build confidence, even if the confidence wasn’t fully earned by a team that may have been gifted a victory by a Pacers team that folded down the stretch.

In the process, the Knicks did themselves a big favor. They unlocked the true potential of the most talented player on the roster.

Now, it’s time to get their two stars on the same page. Because it’s clear good things happen when the offense runs through Towns. The offense just doesn’t nearly run through the All-Star big man enough.

“Anytime you can win it’s a good feeling. So down 2-0, finding a way to win tonight should raise our confidence, raise the morale of the team,” Towns said in his walk-off interview on Sunday. “When I got a chance tonight to do what I do in the 4th, I made sure I was gonna seize the opportunity. I just wanted to go out there and give our team a chance to win. Just happy I was able to do that.”