The Knicks – who had the NBA’s third-best regular-season offense – struggled to score in their second-round series against the Pacers, posting an offensive rating (100.4) that would have ranked 23rd in the regular season.
Strangely, New York seemed to have an answer for its offensive woes. Chris Copeland shot 11-for-20 in the series, and the Knicks’ offensive rating rose to 108.7 with him on the court.
But it was as if New York didn’t realize what it had, giving Copeland more games with less than a minute of playing time than games with 20 minutes of playing time. In all, eight Knicks – including Jason Kidd, who didn’t score a single point in the series – played more than Copeland against Indiana.
The team on the other side of the series seems to appreciate Copeland a little more. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks free agent Chris Copeland have a strong mutual interest, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
But the Pacers, who are less willing to spend, still must bolster their bench. They already signed C.J. Watson, and adding Copeland could be another good, cheap option.