Indiana’s bench has come through big time in the third quarter. Bennedict Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton are both contributing significantly to Indiana’s scoring surges by knocking down 3-pointers and making 3-point plays, leading their teammates to many fast break opportunities.
The Knicks and Pacers have met six times in the playoffs, creating an intense rivalry that is one of the fiercest in all of basketball. Indiana won this meeting 6-1 thanks to an intense feud between Reggie Miller and Spike Lee that further escalated the tension.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of New York Knicks Vs Indiana Pacers.
New York Knicks Starting Lineup:
Position | Player |
---|---|
PG | Jalen Brunson |
SG | Mikal Bridges |
SF | Josh Hart |
PF | OG Anunoby |
C | Karl-Anthony Towns |
Indiana Pacers Starting Lineup:
Position | Player |
---|---|
PG | Tyrese Haliburton |
SG | Andrew Nembhard |
SF | Aaron Nesmith |
PF | Pascal Siakam |
C | Myles Turner |
In this game, the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks with a final score of 132-121.
The Knicks are a better defensive team
The Knicks depend on defense to win games and are one of the premier defense-oriented teams in the league. On the other hand, the Pacers possess a good offensive team but struggle defending smaller opponents like New York.
The rivalry between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers is one of the fiercest in NBA history. It has produced many memorable moments, such as Reggie Miller’s role in helping lead their comeback against Indiana during 1993 playoff series to win their inaugural playoff series against them; Reggie’s rivalry with Knicks fan Spike Lee further escalated their intense competition.
However, both teams still have some way to go before reaching their full potential. The Knicks have not reached the playoffs since 2000 while the Pacers have struggled to find their stride recently; though their young core has proven capable of contending for championships.
Though they have struggled this season, the Knicks have improved their defense by adding depth. Their lineup can now adapt more readily to various situations; for example they can switch up small lineups between OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam or Karl-Anthony Towns to play traditional big man lineups with Karl-Anthony Towns as big man; Donte DiVincenzo provides an ideal complement for each of their starting five.
The Knicks may no longer boast as deep of a bench as once before, but they remain competitive against some of the league’s premier teams. Tyrese Haliburton, Deuce McBride and Isaiah Hartenstein provide ample flexibility during postseason play while Jalen Brunson’s health has made them much more dangerous offensively than in past seasons; yet their defense remains suspect as they head toward Boston as no reliable center can protect the rim; this could become problematic against Boston’s star players without Brunson being able to protect them effectively.
The Pacers are a better offensive team
Indiana Pacers center OG Anunoby has been instrumental to their recent offensive success, but they’re much more than one player. Indiana’s lineup features multiple bodies who compete at high intensity for 48 minutes at a time – which is how they beat Philadelphia 76ers in round one and will surely carry over into winning this series as well.
If the Knicks cannot find a way to match this intensity for an entire game, their chances of victory in this series will become difficult. Their players don’t shy away from playing aggressively on both ends of the court; any lapses on defense or on offense will be severely punished by them. It will be an intense matchup and it is up to Indiana Pacers to prepare accordingly.
In the first two games of their series against Indiana, the Knicks have struggled to keep pace with the Pacers’ high-paced offense. It is easy to understand why: their regular season pace ranked second overall while in the playoffs they averaged over 123 points per game on average. Yet even they have had to adjust their style of play accordingly in order to compete against New York’s physical style of play.
The Pacers were an adept 3-point shooting team during the regular season, but have relied on this strength even more heavily in the playoffs. They ranked third in 3-point attempts during Round 1 and fourth in 3-point makes, giving them plenty of opportunities at either the rim or behind the arc.
They possess some speed on the perimeter as well. In fact, they were third in transition scoring for regular season scoring and continue that momentum into playoffs play. Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam lead an elite group of athletes capable of running quickly across the floor for quick bursts, leading their squad.
Finally, the Pacers possess a wealth of depth on their bench. They led the league in playoff bench points this season and have continued that trend through four games of this series. TJ McConnell and Obi Toppin can score quickly off of their bench while former Knicks center Jordan Hill can provide size. As this will likely be a long series battleground, having an extensive bench will be key.
The Knicks have a better bench
The Knicks may boast an improved bench than last season, but that still doesn’t say much. Miles McBride and Cameron Payne have proven productive but cannot make up for their lack of depth down low; centers Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa remain out due to injuries, leaving New York’s thin bench scrambling during close games.
The Knicks have seen improved offensive production with the addition of rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas and power forward Derrick Williams back into their starting lineup, yet depth on their roster remains an issue, especially due to star player Karl-Anthony Towns running over everyone with his pace of play. They should consider adding veteran centers or shooting guards prior to February 6’s trade deadline for potential improvement.
Rodney Stuckey of the Indiana Pacers could add some punch to New York Knicks second unit as an efficient 3-and-D player, while Alec Burks is a reliable shooter off the bench who could provide big scoring boosts at key moments and add energy and excitement to their side of the court.
The Knicks must also acquire an experienced scorer like Burks or Achiuwa to assist Jalen Brunson during late-game scenarios and help balance out his workload, especially fourth quarter turnovers. Brunson has had an outstanding season so far but has struggled with some turnovers in close games. By adding one or more reliable scoring options (Burks or Achiuwa), their chances of victory would increase substantially in such tight match-ups.
The Knicks will have difficulty competing with the deep bench of the Pacers, but they can increase their own depth by trading some of their weaker assets for veterans with proven credentials. Mikal Bridges may not be as valuable to them next season when his contract expires and may no longer provide as much help; also they could use additional depth at power forward where there are multiple free agency and draft options.
The Pacers have a better coach
As they head back into Indiana for Game 3, the Knicks face serious injury concerns. Without Anunoby, Bogdanovic and Randle on their bench, making any significant adjustments impossible; but tonight they will surely come out strong as they look for both a win and cover at home.
The Knicks opened up the first quarter with an efficient offensive effort but struggled defensively, especially defending 3-point shots and grabbing rebounds. By the end of it all they found themselves trailing by nine points. Following an early timeout from both teams, Indiana came out strong as Haliburton hit one corner three-pointer before Siakam made another one – eventually building an 18 point advantage that forced New York back into taking yet another timeout to regroup their defense.
At about five minutes left in the second half, the Knicks had narrowed the Pacers’ lead down to eight points before going on a sudden run to extend it up to 14. Unable to respond, Knicks took a timeout trailing by two. When DiVincenzo scored off an aggressive drive and earned himself two free throws while Brunson also found his groove and took control. With three minutes remaining in the game, the Knicks went on another explosive run and took back their lead by taking control themselves with DiVincenzo driving downcourt along with Brunson’s hot play and Brunson taking over;
The Indiana Pacers have played well defensively this year, yet may be underrated by many people. According to Dunks & Threes’ adjusted defensive rating chart, they rank 24th. Furthermore, they excel at protecting 3-point lines more effectively than many people realize.
The Knicks have improved significantly from last season, yet still struggle with scoring against the Pacers. Though they can keep pace on paper, more points must be put on the board and improved execution and rebounding needs to be prioritized for them to advance to conference finals.
Leave a Reply