Knicks and Pacers tied 1-1, series heads to Indiana
The Indiana Pacers are locked in a best of seven semifinal series with the New York Knicks. Indiana entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Knicks entered as No. 3. In game one, the Pacers used physical over finesse and won. while in game 2 the Knicks played a more up-tempo game and took the win.
The Pacers defeated the Knicks in game 1 by the score of 102-95, thanks to the physical work on both offense and defense by David West down low and the sharpshooting of Paul George in the backcourt.
West netted 20 points in game 1, while George had 19. The Pacers also enjoyed a 14-rebound advantage over the Knicks 44-30, helping the Knicks to understand that bigger is in face better.
In game 2, the New York Knicks came out and showed the Pacers that up-tempo can beat the slow down physical play as well. The Knicks won 105-79 in a blow out to tie the series 1-1.
The Pacers on defense are making league high scorer Carmelo Anthony earned every point he scores. In game 1, Anthony had 27 points and grabbed 11 boards, but the in your face physical defense by the Pacers upset Anthony. He complained about referee’s calls and hit just 10 of his 28 shots from the field.
In game 2, Carmelo Anthony had a superb second half to end with 32 points and 9 rebounds. In the second half, the Knicks went on a 30-2 run and Anthony had 16 of the 30 points.
Anthony’s fellow teammates have seen that the Pacers are trying to be physical with Anthony and take him out of his game, they know they must step up otherwise Anthony will have a long series.
This season the Pacers led the league in field goal shooting percentage defense and were second in points allowed per game. During the second and third quarters, the Pacers outscored the Knicks 59-38 and were never threatened in the fourth quarter by New York in game 1.
The Knicks center Tyson Chandler is being out played by his counterpart Roy Hibbert. J.R. Smith is not shooting well in the first two games and that is crucial since his scoring would help take pressure offensively off Anthony since Indiana would have to be more honest on defense.
If the Knicks hope to win the series, they need to shoot much better from the field and start to win the battle of the boards.
The Pacers need to keep playing physical defense and clear the defensive boards and grab the occasional offense rebound. Turnovers will be key for both clubs but more so, for New York, since they can try to get the game into more of an up-tempo affair, which is to their liking.
With the series tied 1-1, the teams now travel to Indiana, but will not play again until Saturday, giving both a much needed rest.
