The Eastern Conference finals will have a Game 6 after the No. 3 seed New York Knicks staved off elimination and beat the No. 4 Indiana Pacers on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are still aiming to reach the Finals for the first time since 1999. This postseason, New York eliminated the No. 6 seed Detroit Pistons and then handled the No. 2 Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are trying to get back into the Finals since their last appearance in 2000. Indiana knocked off the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks before upsetting the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here's what has stood out from Game 5 and what to expect from Game 6.
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Game 5: Knicks 111, Pacers 96
What stood out for the Knicks: Facing elimination, the Knicks kept their season alive by being the aggressors from the get-go and maintaining their intensity for a full 48 minutes, knowing that the Pacers are experts at capitalizing on any mental lapses. (See Game 1 of this series, when the Pacers stormed back from a 14-point deficit with 3:14 left to force overtime and eventually win.) The Knicks didn’t make that mistake again, leading by as many as 22 points and never trailing, with Jalen Brunson taking charge with a 32-point, five-rebound and five assist performance and Karl-Anthony Towns adding 24 points and 13 rebounds. The Knicks played with desperation, outscoring Indiana in points in the paint, 60-34, and only allowing one Pacers player to score 20 or more points (Bennedict Mathurin, who had 23 points).
What stood out for the Pacers: The Pacers weren’t mentally prepared for the Knicks’ intensity and didn’t play their game. They were too slow. Tyrese Haliburton had eight points, taking only seven shots. Myles Turner only had five points on three shots. Still, the Pacers cut their deficit to as few as 10 points in the third quarter and 12 points in the fourth quarter, but each time the Knicks roared back, led by Brunson, to reclaim a sizable advantage. The Pacers scored their fewest points of these playoffs (94) and committed 20 turnovers, which led to 15 points for the Knicks.
It was a quiet night in the Garden for Tyrese Haliburton. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
What’s in store for Game 6: This is truly a must-win for both teams. The Pacers can’t risk losing another contest and then going back to Madison Square Garden for a Game 7. This much is for sure: Haliburton, who was coming off of a historic triple-double in Game 4 in which he had 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists and zero turnovers, isn’t going to have another game in which he scores fewer than 10 points. Expect Haliburton to take over Game 6. As for the Knicks, they’re a great team on the road, winning six of their eight games in enemy territory this postseason. They need to replicate the intensity they had in Game 5, with both Brunson and Towns having big performances.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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