The New York Knicks are down 2-0 to the Indiana Pacers after dropping both games in Madison Square Garden in the Eastern Conference Finals. The real question is can they come back and win games three and four on the road? We’ll find out tonight!
The Knicks lost game one in overtime 138-135. The Knicks had a lead as big as 17 points, but the Pacers’ resilience and ball movement allowed them to come back in the game. Tyrese Halliburton and Aaron Nesmith were key contributors in the Pacers’ comeback victory. Halliburton had 31 points to go with 11 assists, including the game-tying shot to send the game to overtime. He went for the three-pointer to win the game but had his toe on the line to make the shot worth two points instead of three. Nesmith had 30 points, including going 8-9 from three. Jalen Brunson had 43 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop Indiana.
In game two, the Knicks came out playing more aggressive, expecting Nesmith to have the same type of game he had before, but they forgot about one player in particular: Pascal Siakam. After winning the NBA Finals in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors, Siakam knows and has what it takes to get his team to a championship. He has been noticeably quiet up until now, scoring a playoff career high of 39 points. The Knicks did not treat Siakam as real threat, which allowed him to play so freely.
Being down 2-0 with two road games on the schedule is as challenging as it gets in the NBA playoffs. If the Knicks can limit open shots and continue to out rebound Indiana, they can steal one on the road. It will not be an easy task, but the Knicks need increase intensity and tap into the hunger that earned them 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are very diverse on both ends of the floor, any player on the team could provide the edge offensively or become a defensive nuisance.
The Knicks look to make this a 2-1 series when they play game three in Indiana tonight at 8:00 P.M.
Good luck New York.
