NBA East finals: Pacers eliminate Knicks to return to 1st Finals since 2000

The Indiana Pacers made it to the NBA Finals after defeating the New York Knicks in six games to clinch the Eastern Conference. 

The Pacers are back in the Finals for the first time since 2000, the same year their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was born. They will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won the West earlier this week and are now back in the Finals since 2012.

One season after the Pacers lost to the Boston Celtics in the ECF, they scaled that hump. As for the Knicks, they still haven’t appeared in the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven’t won it all since 1973. 

Here’s what stood out after the Pacers’ Game 6 win and what’s next as they gear up for their big showdown in OKC. 

___________

Game 6: Pacers 125, Knicks 108

What went right for the Pacers?

Pascal Siakam and the Pacers’ role players stepped up in various ways. With the Knicks prioritizing keeping the ball out of Haliburton’s hands, and eliminating his drives when he did have it, the Pacers’ auxiliary players were bound to define their outcome. 

Siakam scored cheap buckets on leak-outs and transition opportunities. Andrew Nembhard rediscovered his offensive touch in the second half and clamped Jalen Brunson the whole game — essential with Indiana nervous to put a hampered Aaron Nesmith on Brunson for long stretches. Nembhard also found his defensive prowess again, finishing Game 6 with six steals. Myles Turner had a better game, too, hitting a pair of crucial 3-point shots. Off the bench, Obi Toppin and Thomas Bryant provided an impact. Toppin with his athleticism and Bryant with timely corner 3s. 

While Haliburton didn’t light up the scoring column, his patience, humility and 13 assists helped empower his teammates. In the fourth quarter, he found soft spots in the Knicks’ defense for a trio of game-sealing floaters.

The key word and ultimate difference for Indiana was pressure. They applied it on both sides; defensively, they picked up the Knicks’ ball handlers in the backcourt off makes and misses, while on offense they demonstrated it on fast breaks. They had worn out the Knicks all series, and it paid dividends in the second half of Game 6.

What went wrong for the Knicks? 

Apart from Mitchell Robinson’s presence on the offensive glass, the Knicks were unable to meet the Pacers’ intensity. The Pacers’ full-court pressure sped them up and took them out of their rhythm. New York was unable to prevent Indiana from getting out in transition, or establishing their second break. 

While it was a four-point game at halftime, it felt like the Knicks were catching their breath. OG Anunoby and Miles Bridges kept them in it, while Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns struggled. 

That theme continued as the Knicks best two players — Brunson and Towns — were simply not good enough to pull out a must-win game. The Pacers flustered Brunson, forcing him into chaotic drives and five turnovers. Towns, after dominating every defender thrown his way, failed to maximize isolation situations. 

Towns, too, was sub-par defensively. His inability to meet the ball at the point of attack eliminated Bridges and Anunoby’s hard work to contain penetration. 

In the end, the Pacers had more options than the Knicks and pushed those buttons successfully, resulting in a series victory in six games.

The Pacers are in the Finals. They’ll win if __:

They continue to be themselves, and take it up a notch. As profiled, the Pacers’ style matches up well with Oklahoma City’s. They’re unpredictable and effective on offense, and don’t turn the ball over. Turnovers are what the Thunder’s defense feast on, which favors them if Indiana’s frenetic pace turns chaotic. But, if Indiana can continue to get out in transition, and do it cleanly, they’ll have a chance to out-score Oklahoma City. 

The Pacers will also need a healthy Nesmith as he is by far their best option to guard NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Even with Nesmith at full-strength, Indiana could have match-up issues as Jalen Williams is too big for Nembhard and too quick for Siakam. Finding someone who can match up with Williams will be crucial, too. 

Oklahoma City and Indiana have never met in the NBA Finals, so it’s a unique pairing team-wise and style-wise. That could lead to an intensely exciting brand of back-and-forth basketball.

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