Knicks and Pacers in Madison Square Garden, Game 7. Knicks legends from the 90’s and even earlier, sitting courtside to remind these current Knicks of the toughness that embodies “Once a Knick.” A raucous crowd. Two injured warriors back in the starting lineup. Everything was lined up for the Knicks to make their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.
However, that’s why they play the game.
Nobody told the Indiana Pacers that they were supposed to lay down and let the fairytale story of the 2024 Knicks continue. With an offense that couldn’t miss a shot if they tried, Indiana took advantage of an opponent running on fumes to advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2014.
The Knicks legends on hand who played on the 90’s teams that played in those tough series with the Pacers did not likely recognize the brand of basketball being played at MSG in game 7. There were 239 points scored between the teams, which would have taken a game and a half to get to back in the ‘90s. The Pacers scored, and the Knicks defense gave up, 130 points on an NBA playoff record 67.1% shooting from the field. The NBA game now is very different than the rougher game played in the ‘90s.
Despite losing Game 7, these Knicks have nothing to be ashamed of. They embody what it is to be a New York Knick. The City, the team’s alumni, the front office, the coaches, and the players, should all be proud of what they achieved. In a season that was constantly complicated with more challenges and hurdles, where they could have easily quit, the Knicks overachieved and brought back excitement to the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Busy Team Doctors
As has been too much of the Knicks story this year, injuries played a key point in the storyline of this one. Already missing Julius Randle, their All-NBA forward who has been out with a shoulder injury since January, the injury list also included key pieces of the team including Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic. That in its own right would be enough to put the Knicks at a disadvantage. Additionally, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart were nursing injuries and listed as questionable on the injury report coming in to Game 7. While they both started, Hart labored through the game while Anunoby only played 4 minutes and 41 seconds, and could not go on after that. Adding injury to insult (no pun intended), Jalen Brunson went down with a fractured left hand and missed the whole fourth quarter.
In what became a prophetic statement, ESPN analyst Bob Myers stated:
This says it well. There were a few factors that were going in the Knicks favor the gave them every right to win, including: 1. The talent on the team; 2. The organizational alignment between the Front Office, coaches, and players, and; 3. The home court advantage in Game 7 that they fought so hard for. Injuries and an opponent that played one of the best offensive games in NBA history, just caught up to them.
Cue the debate on coach Tom Thibodeau and his limited rotations being a reason the Knicks were run down, but the players are having none of it. They have Thibs’ back, and the team is clearly united in approach.
Make no mistake, the injuries are the main reason for the Knicks season coming to an end. In fact, lining up a starting five of the injured Knicks (Brunson, Bogdanovic, Anunoby, Randle and Robinson) would be in contention for the playoffs themselves!
Team Leaders
Indiana was paced by their own All-Star point guard, Tyrese Halliburton, who scored 26 points on 10 of 17 shooting (6-12 on 3 pointers). In what was an up and down series for Haliburton, he was able to conjure his inner Reggie Miller to quiet the MSG crowd. T.J. McConnell, who was a spark plug off the bench and a thorn in the side of the Knicks the whole series, equaled Haliburton’s game high net rating of +21.
Before the injury, Brunson had scored 17 points on 6-17 shooting (1-3 from 3) to go with 9 assists. Divincenzo carried a majority of the offensive load, trying to keep the Knicks in the game and pouring in a game-high 39 including 9-15 shooting from 3-point range. Alec Burks picked up a lot more of the scoring gap left by the Brunson and Anunoby injuries, as he chipped in 26 points in 40 minutes. Burks, who single-handedly kept the Knicks somewhat within striking distance in the second quarter, has long been a Thibodeau favorite and his trade deadline pick up was another shrewd move by team President Leon Rose. Deuce McBride played 40 minutes off the bench but struggled to 8 points on 4-14 shooting.
Measuring the Intangibles
The hustle stats, rebounding and turnovers, were mixed in Game 7.
Rebounding has been a storyline throughout this series, as unsurprisingly whoever wins the rebounding battle wins the game. That held true in this matchup, with the Pacers holding the 33-28 advantage. For the Knicks, both Hartenstein and Hart had 8 rebounds, which was tied for the game-high.
Some of the game’s other key stats were actually won by the Knicks, as the Pacers committed 12 turnovers to 8 for the Knicks. The Knicks shot 88.9% from the free throw line through 27 attempts, where Indiana shot only 16 free throws and hit 68.8% of them.
These intangibles, and the hustle with which he plays the game, are main drivers on why Knicks fans appreciate Josh Hart so much, in particular. His mutual admiration of the Garden faithful should continue to elevate him in their hearts and minds moving forward.
Congratulations to the Pacers. They are a young team, energetic, with a strategy that plays very well to their strengths. The future is bright for Indiana, and the Eastern Conference Finals series between the Celtics and Pacers will be a fun one to watch!
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by espn.com
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