Pacers suffer annoying and aggravating loss in Game 1, which is the only way to lose to the Knicks in MSG
The Pacers appeared to be on the cusp of swiping Game 1 in the Garden and then things went haywire in the final minutes.
The Pacers and Knicks woke all of the echoes from their playoff past dating back to the epic battles in the 90’s, with a spirited Game 1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night. The Knicks finished far stronger than the Pacers with a little help from the refs, to win 121-117.
Prior to the series I mentioned the variables in play that may favor one team or the other and how the Pacers had to win or at least minimize the damage to beat this relentless Knicks team.
One key area of concern against the Knicks is offensive rebounding and trips to the free throw line. The Pacers held up quite well on the glass for the first half, and after a quick burst of free throws in the first quarter, those numbers were about even in the second half. In fact, the Pacers had a +3 advantage in total rebounds at the break and for the game the Knicks had just a one rebound advantage in ORebs.
In the second half, the Knicks had a +11 advantage in total rebounds which included a couple of critical offensive rebounds by Donte DiVincenzo midway through the quarter as the Knicks asserted themselves to play for the win.
So, yes the Knicks did work on the glass in the second half, but the overall numbers weren’t bad and the free throw advantage was tolerable. Add to that the pace of play which certainly favored the Pacers and not securing the W in this one becomes more painful to absorb.
Now, one variable I did not mention when previewing the series was how the games would be refereed. Actually, I did write a paragraph about having to expect a wild whistle in the Garden, but I took it out because I’m not a fan of leaning on the refs for excuses (despite the Pacers’ long history of being on the wrong side of critical calls).
But there were a couple too many botched calls all going against the Pacers not to raise the issue. In talking about variables and how the game was lost, there are several. One was certainly the officiating and if you don’t consider the impact at all, then it doesn’t seem like a fair analysis of the game.
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report had few surprises on Tuesday afternoon. As brutal as the offensive foul on Myles Turner was on the Pacers last key possession, they could lean on the letter of the law. It was nice of them to admit that they missed a more egregious offensive screen foul on DiVincenzo a couple of possessions earlier.
That missed foul was quickly followed by an incorrect call, the ‘kicked ball’ that Nesmith hit with his hand. This was one of two critical fouls that could’ve altered both the score and momentum of the game. The other was the foul called on Tyrese Haliburton which was overturned just inside two minutes to go in the game.
The foul on Haliburton’s clean swipe at the ball stopped an open transition opportunity for the Pacers at the other end. The ‘kicked ball’ call stopped a 4-on-2 transition opportunity for the Pacers which instead turned into a DiVincenzo 3-ball. No way to measure how those easy scoring opportunities and the natural momentum they would deliver would’ve impacted the final score, but it would have.
So the refs sucked.
But worse for the Pacers, most of the other variables including the pace of play and the Pacers front court attacking the Knicks, leaned in the Pacers’ favor and they still lost the game.
The Knicks scored 121 points which could not have been part of their game plan. Josh Hart played 48 minutes and during a 3Q interview gasped his way through saying the Knicks were happy with the pace. Yeah, right.
But the relentless effort of the Knicks starting five gave them a big advantage in the experience variable, which is where the Pacers came up short. Tyrese Haliburton is certainly not 100 percent physically, but he has to have a strong impact if he’s going to play 36 minutes. Jalen Brunson was more than ready for winning time, scoring 21 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter, while Haliburton tried to get others going but instead delivered 0 points, 0 assists and 3 turnovers at the same time.
Umm…how did the Pacers only lose by 4 points?
For one, the Pacers are far more than just Haliburton and the bench play by TJ McConnell (18 pts, 3 asst) and Obi Toppin (12 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asst) was spectacular. Ben Sheppard came in and knocked down a couple of threes, and while he was a bit over his skis early in the fourth quarter, the reps were solid for the rook. The reserve unit played a big role in pushing the Pacers to a 9-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks responded and quickly cut that lead down to 4 points and it certainly seemed like the reserve group was losing steam. The starters returned to try to bring home the win, but simply weren’t up to the task in the end.
There were little things throughout that served as tough lessons in playoff experience. Like Toppin delivering and Eastbay Funk Dunk in transition…in a playoff game…but the Knicks quickly responding while the Pacers were basking in the glow of the dunk. Same thing happened when Aaron Nesmith threw down an even more vicious dunk after a strong drive through the lane.
Advancing in the playoffs means a solid 48 minute effort is non-negotiable. Against a team like the Knicks, every second is valuable and giving away a few can burn you in a hurry. The environment in MSG was incredible from my TV perspective and the intensity delivered all of the perfect vibes for playoff basketball in Indy. Now the Pacers have to bounce back once again, to keep this series going. But they will have to earn it by building on the near miss in Game 1.
Injury update
The Knicks reported that center Mitchell Robinson has a stress injury in his left ankle and is done for the series. He will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks. The likely adds minutes to Precious Achiuwa, but the Pacers need to keep working toward the rim where they had some success with Myles Turner (23 pts) and Pascal Siakam (19 pts) in Game 1.
Tyrese Haliburton will remain on the injury report as questionable with a sore back. No indications that he will not play, though. As Dustin Dopirak reported, Haliburton vowed to be better in Game 2 and compared his lack of aggression in Game 1 to how he started Game 1 against the Bucks.
"I have to be more aggressive, be myself," Haliburton said. "Even in Game 1 of the last series, I wasn't myself. Just lack of aggression, my energy, everything was off (Monday). I'll be better in Game 2."
Man, that’s painful to read. When Haliburton is making over $35 million next year, hopefully he figures out how to avoid his lack of aggression.
For now, we’ll take a strong bounce-back effort in Game 2. But after so much went right for the Pacers in Game 1 and still didn’t deliver a win, Haliburton will only be a part of the solution as it will take another full team effort to keep making the tight rotation of the Knicks playing hard, tough minutes.
Game Details
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When: Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +4.5
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: Mitchell Robinson (ankle) - out, Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) - out, Julius Randle (shoulder) - out