Do or Die Time For Knicks

Tom Russo-US PRESSWIRE

We saw two clubs facing elimination on Wednesday both go down when the Miami Heat knocked the Chicago Bulls out of the playoffs in five games and then the Memphis Grizzlies did the same to the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Tonight the Indiana Pacers will try to do the same to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden as they bring a 3-1 lead into Game Five. The Pacers won two in a row at home after gaining a split in the first two games in New York. They will try to erase the memories of being blown out their last trip to the Garden while the Knicks went on a 30-2 run to start the fourth quarter. The Knicks offense has looked inept ever since then, averaging only 88 points and 41% for the entire series.

If the Pacers can close it out tonight, they can get started on the Eastern Conference Finals right away against the Heat which means no rest for the injured Heat superstar Dwayne Wade. A Knicks win means Wade can rest and rehab for a few more days before the next round starts.

The Knicks have been killed on the glass in this series. To combat that they switched to a bigger lineup, but that caused them to struggle shooting. So in Game Five look for the Knicks to try and go smaller and quicker and try to play up tempo a bit more.

Jason Kidd will probably find himself coming off the Bench in Game Five in favor of Pablo Prigioni. The Knicks went 16-2 in the regualr season with Prigioni in the starting lineup and coach Mike Brown hinted he may go that way the rest of the series. The Knicks also need J. R. Smith to make an appearance in this series. He has been in a slump ever since his one game suspension against the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Bovada has odds on tonight’s game:

The Pacers are +4.5 -105 while the Knicks are -4.5 -115 ATS. Over/Under is 179 with over and under -110. There is no moneyline on Bovada for the game.

JustBet has  the Pacers +5 -110 and the Knicks -5 -110 ATS. Moneyline is Pacers +172 and the Knicks -202. Over/under is 179 with over and under -110.

The Pacers look to have the Knicks on the run a bit. But we think the Knicks will show up tonight and will not go down without a fight. look for Carmelo Anthony to have a huge game as the series goes back to Indiana for Game Six. But will the Knicks cover the spread? Yes they will. We will go with the Knicks -4.5 and the over -110.