Knicks 130, Pacers 121: Heroic
The Knicks survived the scare of all scares when Jalen Brunson went out in the first half, only for New York’s hero to return and secure a Game 2 win vs. Indiana.
After a dramatic 121-117 Knicks victory in Game 1, I wondered if the Knicks would try to play Game 2 at a slower pace. A high-scoring, up-tempo game was more in line with the Pacers’ style than the Knicks, who played at the slowest pace in the NBA during the regular season. Indeed, the Pacers led for most of Game 1 in a game suited to their strengths. Additionally, the already injury-depleted Knicks announced that center Mitchell Robinson would be out for 6-8 weeks the day before. Would the Knicks try to slow the game down, sacrificing early offense to try to get the series back on their terms?
The answer was an emphatic “no.” In a lightning-fast first half, the Knicks willingly and repeatedly attacked in transition, even with Jalen Brunson missing most of the half with a foot injury (he went out with the score 8-7 and did not return until the second half). Even with Brunson out, the Knicks built a big lead by repeatedly finding gaps in the Pacers’ defense. Despite not having a ton of success on the offensive glass, as is their M.O., the Knicks simply had too many weapons for a Pacers team that ranked 24th in defensive rating during the regular season. Behind OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, the Knicks built an 8-point lead midway through the first quarter.
Of course, this Pacers team can score too, and boy, did they. Indiana would come back to tie the game at 36 going into the second frame and built a lead in the second quarter. After a quiet Game 1, Tyrese Haliburton got back to his playmaking ways and would finish the game with 34 points, nine assists (against just two turnovers), and three steals on 11-19 shooting. After tormenting the Knicks in the previous game, pesky TJ McConnell continued to cause them problems on both ends, and old friend Obi Toppin stepped up in a big way as well, wreaking havoc in transition and punishing the Knicks when they left him open at the 3-point line. Toppin would finish the game with 20 points on 10 shots in just 20 minutes (where have we seen that before, Knicks fans?). He has certainly made the most of his return to Madison Square Garden.
The Pacers would lead 73-63 when the fans (and players) finally got a chance to catch their breath after the breakneck first half. The shorthanded Knicks had done as much as could reasonably be asked of them, but the 10-point deficit against a team who could seemingly score at will loomed large.
Enter: Jalen Brunson. The packed MSG audience was treated to a welcome sight when Brunson returned from the locker room to warm up, and he would not disappoint afterward. The Knicks blitzed the Pacers in the third quarter and Indiana simply had no answer for the Knicks’ superstar. When they trapped Brunson, he would calmly find Isaiah Hartenstein (who finished with eight assists) and Josh Hart (seven dimes) for 4-on-3 opportunities in which they repeatedly punished the Pacers. When the Pacers allowed Brunson to go 1-on-1, he tortured them with his maneuvers and shotmaking. On defense, the Knicks got back to their bread and butter and tightened up, energized and locked in. After Indiana found a lot of success on the offensive glass for six quarters, the Knicks started to finish possessions and get out on the break with Anunoby throwing down dunks, DiVincenzo hitting big 3-pointers, and Josh Hart relentlessly attacking the rim. The Knicks would not only erase the lead but go up as many as nine.
Alas, that was not all she wrote. While attempting a fast break, Anunoby (who finished 28 points in just 28 minutes to go along with the high-level defense we’ve all come to expect from him) came up limping with a sore left hamstring and left the game. He would not return. The Knicks led by eight after the third quarter, but closing out an Indiana team hungry to steal home-court advantage without their defensive ace would be no easy task. Fortunately, they were up to it.
The Pacers refused to go away, but in what has been a recurring theme the Knicks simply made more plays when it mattered. Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley noted that the Pacers actually collected more offensive rebounds than the Knicks over the course of the game (14 to 12), and yet it felt like the Knicks got all of those rebounds in the fourth quarter. Despite the taxing minutes load the Knicks’ starters have had to take on given the injury attrition, their condition has seemingly never wavered. The Pacers would make big shot after big shot, but the Knicks always had a response, never relinquishing the lead (the Pacers would get as close as two points). Every time the Pacers made a dent, there was Jalen Brunson with a clutch turnaround jumper or a daring finish through contact. If he missed, there was Precious Achiuwa (five rebounds, three offensive) Donte DiVincenzo (six, two), Isaiah Hartenstein (12, four), or Josh Hart (FIFTEEN, two) with an offensive rebound. If the Pacers got the ball out of his hands, there was DiVincenzo or Hart with a backbreaking 3-pointer.
The Knicks would extend the final margin to nine, aided by the Pacers missing clutch free throws and a perplexing decision by head coach Rick Carlisle to bench McConnell, arguably their best Brunson defender who had also hurt the Knicks repeatedly on the other end en route to 10 points and 12 assists. After a 130-121 victory, the Knicks head to Indiana with a quick turnaround for Game 3 on Friday.
Notes:
The loss of OG Anunoby cannot be overstated. The Knicks metamorphosized from a solid team that was no fun to play against into a true contender after trading for him. Not only does he enable everything the Knicks want to do on defense, his offensive contributions have been invaluable to a team that needs to squeeze all the juice it can out of its role players with defenses focusing all their attention on Jalen Brunson. Anunoby has played heavy minutes and was having arguably his best game as a Knick (certainly on offense). With Brunson missing most of the first half, Anunoby stepped up as a scorer. In addition to his elite defense, his clutch shooting, ability to finish at the rim, and ability to create what has been a very reliable mid-range range jumper was sorely missed. Hopefully, he will be able to return to the court soon.
With that said, we must recognize Precious Achiuwa. He was up and down against a talented set of Indiana bigs that includes not only Myles Turner but frequent Knicks thorn-in-the-side Isaiah Jackson and Obi Toppin. Yet he delivered big plays when his number was called, throwing down a big dunk after an offensive rebound and pass from DiVincenzo. Since being acquired from Toronto, Achiuwa has had to adapt to a variety of roles. He struggled immensely at first, was asked to play the 5, then the 4 (after Randle was injured), then taken out of the rotation completely when Mitchell Robinson returned despite playing very well. Once Robinson was out in Game 4, he was asked to come in and defend reigning MVP Joel Embiid, and performed admirably. His reward? Back to the bench again with Mitch back. Wait, come back Precious! Mitch is out for Game 2 and you have to guard Myles Turner. Wait, also can you play the 4 because we lost OG? I’m not criticizing Tom Thibodeau (who has been really good all season and in the playoffs) for his decision not to play Achiuwa in previous games at all, but I absolutely admire the poise with which Achiuwa has adapted to everything that’s been thrown his way. His ability to switch ball screens with Anunoby seamlessly was essential to the Game 4 victory against Philadelphia, and yesterday he performed admirably at both the center and power forward positions when his number was called again. With Robinson (and potentially Anunoby) missing more time to injury, it’s safe to say the Knicks will ask even more of him going forward.
When you lose your star player in a key playoff game, sometimes it helps to have a (i)Hart to Hart. Hartenstein and Hart were absolutely fantastic. After the Knicks struggled to contain Turner in Game 1, Hartenstein outplayed him thoroughly, helping hold him to just six points on 3-11 shooting while posting a near triple-double with 14 points (on 5-7 shooting), 12 rebounds, and eight assists in a heroic 39 minutes. Meanwhile, Hart filled up the stat sheet with what are starting to feel like routine numbers. A ho-hum 16 points (only one three-pointer but it was a big one late in the fourth quarter), a measly FIFTEEN rebounds, a mediocre seven assists. Hartenstein and Hart (along with DiVincenzo) have punished teams all season for trapping Brunson by providing safe outlets who can make plays off the bounce, but they went to another level yesterday. When they’re playing like this in addition to Brunson the Knicks are incredibly tough to defend. Right now, the Pacers simply don’t have an answer.
After struggling for large parts of the series against the 76ers, DiVincenzo played excellently for the third straight game, scoring 28 points on 10-20 shooting (including a scorching 6-12 from three). He has hit clutch shots throughout the playoffs and even added an emphatic dunk on Myles Turner. He also chipped in six rebounds and four assists (every Knicks starter had at least three assists) and answered the bell when the Knicks needed more offense with Brunson out. With a contract of just under $11.5 million this season, it’s safe to say DiVincenzo was one of the biggest free agent steals in recent memory. Leon Rose hit another home run.
Speaking of Leon Rose home runs, I’ve barely talked about Brunson. What more is there to say? After putting up historic numbers through the first seven games of the playoffs, his counting stats took a bit of a hit after he missed 1.5 quarters yesterday. He would score “only” 29 points (on 11-18 shooting) and dish “just” five assists in 32 minutes. The Pacers have found very little success in any strategy they’ve tried as I’ve mentioned and he has been tough (physically and mentally) as nails down the stretch of games. He is a no-doubt-about-it superstar like few this city has ever seen.
One player who has had some success bothering Brunson is McConnell, yet Carlisle made the curious decision to bench him down the stretch with Brunson lighting up his defense. After the game, Carlisle explained that he made this decision because he wanted to give the small-market Knicks a fair chance. Oh wait, my mistake. He actually didn’t address his own coaching at all. After being thrown out of the game for repeatedly complaining about the officiating, he said in his post-game press conference “small-market teams deserve an equal shot.” The Pacers are also reportedly sending 49 (!) plays with which they had an officiating complaining to the league office from Game 2 in addition to 29 such plays they collected from Game 1. I don’t want to waste too much space on this, but frankly this is unbecoming from a coach has accomplished as Rick Carlisle. You won a title against LeBron freaking James and Dwyane Wade, man. You really don’t have to resort to this kind of behavior.
Well, that’s all from me, folks. We’ll hope for good news on OG and get ready for Friday as the Knicks try to build a commanding 3-0 lead in Indiana.
