It is desperation time for the New York Knicks after they lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals at home to the Indiana Pacers, and they are reportedly considering a starting lineup change as a result.

Ian Begley of SNY reported Saturday that head coach Tom Thibodeau has "strongly considered" placing Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup for Sunday's Game 3. The plan would be for the big man to take Josh Hart's spot in the starting five, which would move the versatile guard to a role off the bench.

Begley noted New York's starting lineup is -29 together in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals and -50 over the course of the entire playoffs.

Robinson has posed a problem for Indiana's frontcourt, especially on the offensive glass.

He grabbed four offensive rebounds and eight rebounds in total in 21 minutes in the Game 1 loss and then followed up with four offensive rebounds and nine rebounds in all in 29 minutes in Game 2.

Robinson played more minutes, while Hart appeared in a playoff-low 29 minutes. It was the first time since March 17 that Hart didn't play at least 30 minutes in a game.

Thibodeau is surely looking for some type of spark after the Pacers jumped out to an 18-11 lead in the first five minutes of Game 1 and then a double-digit lead in the first quarter of Game 2. While the Knicks' late-game execution, especially in the first contest, is the primary reason they are down 2-0, they will need a better start in Game 3 to prevent the Indiana crowd from coming alive.

And it will be a raucous crowd, as Tyrese Haliburton and Co. have the opportunity to seize full control of the series by taking care of business at home.

The last time Indiana made it to the NBA Finals was the 1999-2000 season, and a victory on Sunday would put it one win away from reaching the sport's biggest stage.

It just might have to deal with Robinson's size earlier than expected in order to get that win.