The New York Knicks' cruising to another double-digit win on Tuesday opened the door for head coach Mike Brown to empty his bench when the game was out of reach. This allowed the usual suspects on the outside of the current main playoff rotation—Tyler Kolek, Landry Shamet, Ariel Hukporti—to take the floor and get a bit of run in.

However, in a series that's been full of adjustments by Brown, even this group saw some tweaks in Game 5. Both Jeremy Sochan and Pacôme Dadiet made their postseason debuts in Atlanta, leaving rookie Mohamed Diawara as the only DNP due to a coach's decision as the New York went up 3-2 in the opening-round series.

While it could be some harmless experimentation, the absence of Diawara is notable given the timing.

Mohamed Diawara has likely played himself out of the Knicks' playoff consideration

In Game 4, it was Diawara who got the chance to see his first taste of playoff hoops.…