Who will be the X Factor in the Pacers-Knicks Eastern Conference Finals?
The Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Pacers might get tight. Here are the players who we think might be able to break through and tilt the series.
NEW YORK – It’s something Tom Thibodeau repeats often, but for Jo good reason.
The Knicks coach provides ongoing reminders that for his team to win, it has to play hard on both ends of the court for a full 48 minutes, something the Knicks haven’t always done over the course of the regular season – or in these playoffs.
But for the Knicks to take down the Indiana Pacers and move on to the NBA Finals, that’s exactly what they’re going to have to do.
These Knicks have something special going. They’re on a roll. They’re playing some of their best basketball in the playoffs.
But their series against the defending champion Boston Celtics, which ended in six games, showed that these Knicks can be vulnerable. The Celtics, a team that lives and dies by the three, couldn’t hit anything the first two games and yet still held 20-point leads in both of those games before the Knicks pulled off stunning comebacks.
Then we all saw what happened in Game 5 – the Celtics thoroughly thrashed the Knicks before the Knicks returned the favor with a series-clinching blowout win of their own in Game 6, another game when Boston struggled from long distance.
The Knicks defended at a high level from start to finish – they were in control the entire 48 minutes.
“We knew we’d have to play 48 minutes against them,” Thibodeau said after the game. “They’re terrific on both sides of the ball. They play their style no matter what. They’re not going to hand you anything. You have to earn it, and I thought we did that.”
Pacers are a challenge for Knicks in Eastern Conference Finals
Now comes a different type of test.
The Pacers are deep. Coach Rick Carlisle deploys a rotation that can extend to as many as 11 players. Indiana wears teams down. It plays at a fast pace. The Pacers’ bench during the regular season averaged 39.8 points per game. The Knicks’ by comparison averaged 21.7.
Thibodeau’s rotation is no where near as deep. The Knicks don’t have that type of luxury.
How Knicks can beat Pacers in this series
The Knicks in can’t afford to go through stretches where they’re having defensive issues, communication breakdowns or just plain lackluster effort. They also can’t afford to have bad third quarters, an issue that’s cost them at times throughout the season.
There’s no question the Knicks have the pieces to beat the Pacers and move on to the Finals. Jalen Brunson seems to play his best when the spotlight is brightest and the stage is biggest. Mikal Bridges has stepped up in the playoffs and so has OG Anunoby. Karl-Anthony Towns has been inconsistent, but when he’s playing at a high level teams don’t typically have a great answer for him.
Josh Hart does it all for the Knicks, and Mitchell Robinson’s defense can be game changing.
The Knicks are going to need everybody in this series. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton sets the tone, while Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are major weapons in the frontcourt. Aaron Nesmith is shooting 48.2 percent from three in the playoffs.
Like the Celtics, the Pacers have a lot of weapons. But unlike the Celtics, they don’t rely on three-point shooting to win.
If the Knicks are going to win this series, they’re going to need consistent 48-minute performances.
There’s a reason Thibodeau makes that assertion so often.
This Knicks team can’t afford to let up.
At all.