In Game 5, the Knicks sent a message to the Pacers. The reason why Indiana should be concerned is as follows:
NEW YORK— The Knicks made you believe on Thursday night, when their season was on the line and their hopes were on the line.
Force. Intent. Detail. The ingredients of champions.
New York seemed to be a team that could do the impossible, come back from a 3-1 series deficit, and then go into the finals and make something of it, not wanting its season to end in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
New York stole Indiana’s will from the start and ultimately triumphed by 17 points, bringing the score in the Eastern Conference finals to a 3-2 deficit. The Knicks sent the Pacers a clear message: We’re not giving up.
Indiana should give that a lot of consideration.
“Honestly, I’m just happy with the way we reacted,” Knicks star Jalen Brunson stated. “We came out, had some energy in the way we played. I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished. We simply need to replicate that in the first quarter of the next game and keep expanding on it.
New York had 15 more attempts than the quick Pacers. The Knicks prevailed in the rebound contest. They committed five fewer turnovers. New York excelled at everything that typically leads to a beating of this caliber.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere was established by the stars. In the opening minutes, Brunson scored six consecutive points on his way to a 14-point first quarter (Brunson ended the game with 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting). The New York guard entered. He was a hard cookie to crack. He produced jumpers.
The party was brought to the Pacers by Brunson, who caused their knees to give way in the first few minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns arrived shortly thereafter. The star big man scored 12 of his 24 points in the second quarter. He found no response in Indiana. He was free to score inside. Since it seemed like every drive to the basket ended with a made shot and a free throw, he didn’t have to make 3-pointers. The Knicks’ two best players laid the groundwork and consumed everything.
In the first half, New York attempted 21 shots from inside the restricted area. Every action was done with purpose and intent.
“I came into the game just thinking about being ultra-aggressive, and if I get a chance to go down hill or impact the game, I wanted to do that,” Towns stated. “Tonight was a great night for us executing or game plan defensively and it helped us get going offensively, too, with transition points.”
The Knicks were just as driven and powerful on the other side of the floor. That comprises Brunson, who has been the subject of constant attention throughout this series. The Knicks’ rotations were generally excellent as a team. Their performance on pick-and-rolls was aggressive. They protected the ball. Before even crossing the half-court line on occasion, Mikal Bridges also picked up Tyrese Haliburton, who had just eight points on seven attempts.
There were three steals made by OG Anunoby. By recording two blocks and preventing the Pacers ballhandlers from reaching the rim, Mitchell Robinson transformed back into the “Blockness Monster.” Landry Shamet single-handedly dismantled an Indiana offensive play after entering the game from the bench.
The players on this squad were concentrated, physical, and connected on this particular night.
“It began at the point of assault, with Mikal, simply picking up and making things hard,” Knicks guard Miles McBride said. “Everybody talked and communicated a lot more. I just felt like we had an edge to us tonight.”
These kinds of performances occur occasionally for the Knicks. It’s one of the ways they reel you back in right when you might believe they’re finished. This squad is capable of performing at this defensive level on a more regular basis than just once every few games. The players on this squad are intimidating. However, they seldom combine two of these performances one after the other.
New York’s last bit of magic is the last piece of the puzzle. To do what seemed impossible two days ago and become the first Eastern Conference finals team in 44 years to recover from a 3-1 deficit, this must be the case for the next two games. There’s no cause for it not to exist. This is it. Win or go home.
The Knicks put all the pressure back on Indiana by seizing the win on Thursday. At home, the Pacers are anticipated to conclude this series. With that audience, against Brunson, and in Madison Square Garden for a Game 7? If not, though? The Knicks are my pick.
The world’s most well-known arena has been empty in June for the past 26 years. The chairs were folded up. Vacant. The outside streets are the source of all the noise. After all these years, that may finally change. All the Knicks need to do is replicate their performance from Game 5. Once more. It’s a difficult undertaking, but it’s what sets championship teams apart from good ones, and New York seems content to be just that.
The Knicks won’t leave by themselves. Throughout this postseason, we’ve seen it happen repeatedly. The Pacers will have to be the first club to create them.
“The most important thing is that we never give up,” Josh Hart stated. That’s how we do things. We’ll hold each other accountable when we make mistakes. Only when we require it do we collect it.
“Entering their home, which is a difficult place to play, is the same scenario. They have a lot of energy and amazing fans. “We must be even better.”
