Pacers and Knicks ready to renew their postseason rivalry
Pacers and Knicks ready to renew their postseason rivalry
Been far too long, but the Pacers and Knicks are set to play another playoff series.
Three full off days have finally ended and the Pacers are in New York where they will face the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday night.
Now it’s time to get past the feeling this is a bonus round for the Pacers who survived their own inconsistent play and effort in the first round to put down the short-handed Bucks.
After watching the Knicks battle through Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers in first round, it is easy to see why anyone not associated with the Pacers, including the betting books, expect the Knicks to win the series.
But the variables in this series are quite interesting and if enough flip the Pacers way, then the series should be long and spirited. The Pacers actually match up well with the Knicks from a size stand point, particularly in the front court. While Rick Carlisle went to Isaiah Jackson for much of round one for the minimal third big minutes for defensive purposes, he may turn back to Jalen Smith in this one to attack the Knicks around the rim.
The glaring variable favoring the Knicks is the ‘dog’ factor. While the Pacers have Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, along with TJ McConnell and Ben Sheppard off the bench, to play that active, defensive, needling style of play. The Knicks start four guys who play with the mind set and bring another off the bench. There is no let up with those Knicks and as we know, the nasty flaw for the Pacers has been a let up either to start games or after taking a lead that has coaches and players talking about lacking intensity. That flaw will become fatal if it surfaces in this series.
The good news is that the Pacers often respond best in an underdog role. Their full attention and intensity seems to show up when the stakes rise and the competition is expected to win. That will surely be the case in the first two games at the Garden.
Under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks played a 6.5-7 man rotation with three Knicks (Brunson, Hart and OG) playing at least 45 minutes. Add DiVincenzo to that trio when Miles McBride just plays about 10 minutes. Those guys play physical and have plenty of miles on them this season, a signature of Thibodeau teams. The positive is that they are in shape for anything, particularly late in games.
The risk is those miles could trigger a problem at any time. Keeping OG and both bigs healthy is critical for the Knicks in this matchup. Mitchell Robinson did not play against the Pacers in the regular season and expects to be a big difference maker. Also, expect Precious Achiuwa to play a bigger role in the rotation than he did against Philly. We know the Pacers can struggle to rebound and all five Knicks will be a problem on the glass in this series.
Always a question for Pacers fans is how Carlisle will handle his rotation. It seems he prefers to roll with an 8-man rotation, with spot minutes for a ninth man, depending on how the game plays out. Needless to say, foul trouble will be a primary cause for concern, and that’s just from trying to cover Brunson.
Experience is also a difference in this one, just from a playing stand point. Haliburton, Nesmith and Nemhbard are all 24 years old in their first playoff run for the Pacers. While the Knicks are leaning heavily on players in their prime years with Brunson (27), Hart (29), DiVincenzo (27), OG (26) with varying levels of postseason experience.
Then there are the distractions. While the Knicks have guys that play hard and will surely chatter when they get it rolling, I wouldn’t expect the bush league distractor antics the Pacers had to deal with against the Bucks. Instead, the noisiest distractions will be off the court with the local New York and national media hunting and picking at both teams for stories and controversy.
ESPN’s Tim McMahon already raised the angle that Jalen Bruson doesn’t like Rick Carlisle and how he was used when both were in Dallas so he will be in revenge mode. Great story, but have you seen Brunson playing lately? Not sure Brunson could play any harder or more productive than he has to close the regular season and in the playoffs. In the sole Knicks win over the Pacers in the regular season, Brunson hit the Pacers for 40 points. Of course, Carlisle has nothing but praise for Brunson so not much meat left on this story. The Knicks may beat the Pacers, but it won’t be due to how Brunson feels about Carlisle.
Tyrese Haliburton will surely draw the attention of Knicks’ fans in MSG. The Pacers star guard has not always risen to these types of challenges this year, but when he does you know it. In an effort to get his mind right for the tough series expected against the Knicks, Haliburton mentioned watching tapes of Colts guard Quenton Nelson who is know for relentlessly pursuing blocks through the whistle. Haliburton even donned the 56 Colts jersey for the trip to New York, as if he need to draw attention to himself.
With the history of the Pacers and the Knicks in postseason play, it is impossible to not get hyped for these first two games. Somethings memorable always happens when these two teams tangle in the postseason. Every minutes of this series will help this Pacers team regardless of the result. But now that the series is ready to tip, let’s hope the memories of this series include how the Pacers shocked the experts and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Game Details
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When: Monday, May 6, 2024, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +6
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein
Injuries
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton (back) - questionable, Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) - out
Knicks: Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) - out, Julius Randle (shoulder) - out