The New York Knicks shocked the world when they upended the Boston Celtics and advanced in the playoffs and now, they are just one series away from the NBA Finals. New York is in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years and when they were last here, they were ousted by their foe, the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks were a heavy underdog against the Celtics, but even before losing Tatum, New York looked like the much better team. Now they face an opponent that many NBA experts are saying are not as good as the Knicks, and maybe even that New York is expected to win.
This season sort of came out of nowhere for Knicks fans, but now they have captured this town like few teams before them have. The excitement outside of MSG has been at a fever pitch and the Pacers represent a rivalry that has spanned the decades. Many old school Knick fans still remember the Reggie Miller choke sign and the battles with Spike Lee at the Garden are a thing of legends, but now is the time for New York to make their own history.
The Knicks match up well in some areas against Indy, but they also have to be cautious of certain things. Indiana is very deep, and their can run their rotation ten players deep, which helps this late in the season, and also creates problems if they want to lean on the big men. Seven different Pacers averaged at least 10 points or more and ten averaged at least 19 minutes. Indiana also can get out and run and run you off the floor. This is evidenced by their 7th fastest pace of play in the league. They love the half-court game as well with the highest half court offensive rating in the playoffs and the best offensive rating in transition off rebounds. In short they are going to push the pace, pardon the pun.
Jalen Brunson is likely the X- factor here. He is averaging 29 points per game this postseason. He has also done that against elite defenders and now takes on a good defensive team in Indy, but one who will lose that one-on-one match up. KAT will also play a big role. He is a rare big man who can shoot from the outside, although he didn't do much of that against Boston, he should get more looks against the Pacers. He has to get boards for this team to win, and he should. The Pacers are last in the playoffs in offensive rebounding, so those second chance shots should be few and far between.
If he can get going this series can be a short one, but if not, Brunson can still carry the Knicks to the Finals. New York has momentum and a lot of advantages, but the Pacers are no push overs and that deep bench has to worry you. This should be a great series and there is a distinct possibility we are looking at the Knicks in the Finals when all is said and done.