The Indianapolis 500 took place on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s where the Knicks and Pacers should be facing each other in the Eastern Conference Finals because seemingly, the hometown Pacers are playing faster than the race cars were driven.
The Indy 500 ended with an average car speed of 231 miles per hour and the Pacers’ velocity, as seen by the naked eye, isn’t much slower.
Down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series after a 130-121 road loss on Tuesday in Game 4, the Knicks have to somehow slow down the Pacers tonight in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden if they are going to stave off being eliminated from the playoffs.
The No. 3 seed Knicks, like the No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round and the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals, have been coerced by the Pacers into playing at a tempo they cannot effectively match. The No. 4 seed Pacers dispatched both teams 4-1 and can do the same to the Knicks with a win this evening.
As they’re taking the opposition down one by one in electrifying fashion, putting the basketball universe, which still has many NBA followers doubting their legitimacy as a certified championship contender, on notice, the Pacers are emphatically asserting they are a dangerous collective.
Two stats tell much of why the Knicks are in a dire circumstance: Over four games, the Pacers lead them in fast-break points 65-23 and have outscored them by an unfathomable 53 points, 86-33, off turnovers. It’s a byproduct of the Pacers’ relentless pressure on both ends of the court.
“You turn it over against them, particularly live ball turnovers, you’re fueling their transition game,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau of his squad’s 17 turnovers, off which they conceded 20 points.
Meanwhile, the Knicks can be encouraged by understanding that having taken better care of the ball and being more sound in late game execution could have them tied or even leading the series. The average margin of victory in the four games is a close 5.75 points.
They also have to proverbially cut off the head of the snake that is Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who etched a game no one in history ever has on Tuesday. Perpetually in motion, Haliburton became the first player to register at least 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds (he had 32, 15 and 12) with no turnovers in a playoff game since turnovers began being tracked in the 1977-78 season.
Despite having a team high, “I’m not doing enough,” said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. “There has to be a difference on my part when it comes to that.”
Teams that have held 3-1 leads in best-of-seven playoff series have won nearly 96% of the time, so the Knicks are trying to overcome monumental odds.
It’s possible. And it can start with a win tonight.