Pacers vs Knicks : Series Thread

[Pacers Forever]

Very nice first half. Good job limiting DiVencenzo 2-7 and 0-2 from 3, and Anunoby 3-10. Hart and Brunson doing as expected.

Pacers as expected spreading around the ball and shooting % is a bit better than Knicks this half. +3 in rebounds and assists piling up.

3 fouls on Nesmith and Nembhard but McConnell and double teams have helped pick up the slack on Brunson.

Jackson, McConnell, Toppin, and Sheppard playing their roles well in the first half and hopefully they help wear the Knicks down this half.

[Wizop]

We ended the third was a lucky three matching the way the Knicks ended the second

[Pacers Forever]

Great ending to the third for a 5 point lead. Gotta play better defense in the fourth as other Knicks are getting confidence unfortunately.

[Wizop]

Huge thread on the general board.

[boomershadow]

I've been pulling for IJax to get more minutes all year, but does anybody know if Jalen Smith is in Rick's doghouse? Is he even dressed for the game?

[jowglenn]

Wow what are the odds that the Knicks get every single call down the stretch? Including multiple ludicrous ones! I guess they’re just lucky

[Pacers Forever]

#39 Chad Ford rarely calls a good game when he’s on the crew. That was a flop on DiVencenzo.

Pacers need to play better and not let the Knicks be this close at the end because the Knicks have three 3 point shooters that are clutch.

Tyrese not playing like an all star is killing us. Hurt or being taken out of the game with defensive game plan is a problem. Siakam was off tonight also. So many missed opportunities tonight.

[Pacers_Freak]

My opinion is going to be unpopular in here. I hate the call on Turner because they never call moving screens in the NBA. However, there were so many chances to make a whistle not decide the game. There was zero chance of us getting a stop in the 4th and many empty offensive possessions.

Game 2 is concerning. Not sure our young team is mature enough to bounce back from how they lost this one. They showed they can hang with them tonight and if they can regroup it’s going to be a fun series.

[granger05]

It would have been nice to steal game one, but I saw some positive signs even in the loss. The calls in the last two minutes were pretty discouraging, but we were still right there. I was disappointed with a couple sloppy turnovers by Haliburton in the 4th and throughout the game it felt like a lot of 50/50 balls were going the Knicks way, but every time I looked up we were putting together leads. The Knicks wanted to play our pace and if their starters are going to be playing this many minutes then I think we've got a chance to turn things around. It really felt like we controlled the game for the most part, we just needed a couple things to bounce our way. Hopefully, we make some adjustments and keep Hart off the glass.

[Dave_R]

Knicks fan coming in peace. The calls (and non-calls) were bad for both teams. Brunson's jersey was held just prior to the turnover (where they called Turner for a moving screen - which, technically, it was).

[Wizop]

Game 2 is concerning. Not sure our young team is mature enough to bounce back from how they lost this one. They showed they can hang with them tonight and if they can regroup it’s going to be a fun series.

losing games 1 and 2 isn't the end of the world but it does mean we'd need to win 3 and 4. the saying is a series doesn't start until a road team wins.

[Tom White]

From what I saw, there were opportunities, but simple things kept us from winning this game. We can't have Turner only getting two rebounds. Haliburton needs to be more aggressive on offense. Six shots from him is not enough. Nembhard drives me nuts at times by doing dumb stuff. Not being aware of the defender being in position to block his shots, and the dead ball foul at the end are inexcusable.

Not to take away from how well the Knicks played on both ends, but there are things we can improve, and if we do, then we win.

[boomershadow]

Apart from the heartbreaking and egregious ending, I thought there were a lot od good things to take from the game. People didn't think Indy was gonna stack up well against the Knicks, but they absolutely held their own in most ways.

For a whole 7 game series, is defense gonna trump offense? It usually doesn't. Are Knicks starters gonna hold up under the workload? Hopefully not. Is Ty gonna score so little every game? I doubt it.

[jowglenn]

OK now that the dust has settled - aside from the egregious officiating at the end there, I was pretty happyw ith hte Pacers overall game. They put up a good fight the whole way, and this felt a lot closer than either of the Bucks losses. If this is what the Pacers bring every night, they can still win this series.

[Tom White]

For a whole 7 game series, is defense gonna trump offense? It usually doesn't.

I've always thought the opposite, meaning defense being more important. Maybe that is just me.

Are Knicks starters gonna hold up under the workload? Hopefully not.

Tibs has been known as a coach who plays his main guys a TON of minutes. Not sure if that is still true or not. With no back-to-back games and extra days off for travel, I doubt their minutes are going to have a big effect. That is barring multiple games with overtime periods.

[Wizop]

With no back-to-back games and extra days off for travel, I doubt their minutes are going to have a big effect. That is barring multiple games with overtime periods.

no extra days this week - (Monday), Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. one day off between games.

[Tom White]

no extra days this week - (Monday), Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. one day off between games.

I'll be darned. Didn't they used to add a travel day when the series switched locations?

[Wizop]

no extra days this week - (Monday), Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. one day off between games.

I'll be darned. Didn't they used to add a travel day when the series switched locations?

perhaps that was the finals where the distances should be longer.

[Wizop]

Read on Twitter

[Pacers Forever]

I find it confusing that the Timberwolves and Nuggets series played Saturday, Monday, and then skips all the way to Friday ???? Shouldn’t they be playing Wednesday without this extra rest ????