Knicks and Pacers clash in the Eastern Conference Finals

For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals. And the cherry on top? They have home court advantage.

The Knicks will face off against the Indiana Pacers, who dispelled of the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games during the second round of the playoffs. There is no time to celebrate, and the Knicks are going to have to be ready heading into this series with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. The Pacers will be another tough matchup for the Knicks, and they will need to come prepared to run against a team that loves to get out in transition with one of the deepest rotations left in the playoffs.

Let's get into it. Here's my breakdown of the second round and a preview of the upcoming showdown with the Indiana Pacers.

Second round results

Knicks: Beat the Boston Celtics in six games, having done so after stealing two in Boston while mounting multiple 20-point comebacks. They clinched the series with a dominant, 38-point win in Game 6.

Pacers: Beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games while putting up 110+ points in all four wins. Five players averaged 14 points or more per game, and were led by Pascal Siakam, who averaged 17.8 PPG, per Basketball Reference.

The Pacers pose a different type of test for these Knicks, and although not necessarily the juggernaut that were the Boston Celtics, a pesky team nonetheless. As I noted, five players averaged 14 points or more per game in their previous series, so the Knicks' defense is going to have to continue to trend upward to combat that high volume of scoring. I thought there were some bright spots in the their defense in the second round, which bodes well in carrying over to this round. Jalen Brunson has picked up his intensity on that side of the ball, Mikal Bridges sealed Games 1 and 2 with his defense, OG Anunoby took pride in matching up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and Mitchell Robinson has been rotating and switching better than we have ever seen from him before.

Like I said earlier, the Pacers are going to want to run early, and the Knicks will need to combat that by playing tough transition and half-court defense. They (specifically Karl-Anthony Towns) need to keep the unnecessary fouls to a minimum and play smart on the defensive side of the ball. The Celtics missed a lot of shots, but the Knicks forced them into uncomfortable positions time and time again throughout that series. That will be a key for them to set the tone from the jump.

The Pacers didn't win their second round series with luck, they did it in 5 games and are a more than capable opponent. They deserve to be in this position and will scratch and claw as much as the Knicks to make this series close.

Series preview

Resilience. I think that is the best word to describe this Knicks squad after dispatching the Boston Celtics in six games. It took multiple 20-point comebacks and a Game 6 close-out win by 38 points to finally seal the deal move on to the Conference Finals. There were so many ups and downs against the Celtics and there were moments in the Game 3 and 5 losses where momentum grinded to a halt. They persevered and made it through what was basically coined a David vs Goliath matchup from the media.

The Pacers beat the Knicks in the second round of last year's playoffs, albeit against a differently constructed and injury-stricken Knicks roster. This time around, it feels different in the way in which the Knicks matchup with the Pacers. They now have a stretch five that is arguably one of the better three-point shooters from his position in history in Karl-Anthony Towns, while Mikal Bridges brings active hands and stingy defense along with an automatic jumper from mid-range. Their makeup is different this year, and although they rely heavily on the starters, this is the way in which the Knicks have found success.

When the Knicks are on defense:

• Expect either OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges to match up with Tyrese Haliburton. Coach Thibodeau is going to want to take the momentum away from the Pacers early, and what better way to do that than by locking down Haliburton? He averaged 17.4 PPG and 7 APG in the second round while shooting 45% from three, per Basketball Reference. He is an X-factor, and his production needs to be minimized at all costs. He had 10 turnovers in the second round while Mikal Bridges racked up 14 steals. The opportunity exists to force plenty of turnovers and to make the Pacers uncomfortable in their offensive gameplan.

• All I have to say is; if Mitchell Robinson is out there, the Knicks have a much better shot to win. He boxes out, rebounds, runs in transition, and rotates well as proven in the Celtics series. His minutes and production were huge off the bench and he snatched 25 RPG while only playing 20 minutes per game. He had some key defensive moments, like the one below that keeps coming up on my social media feed from Game 6 that forced a Celtics turnover. He needs to keep up the intensity in this series and bring a spark off the bench that is desperately needed when a guy like Karl-Anthony Towns needs rest or gets into foul trouble.

When the Knicks are on offense:

• The Knicks' half-court offense is elite and has carried them through the playoffs, as guys like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns play to their strengths when the game slows down. Those two alone accounted for 44% of the Knicks' points scored in their second round matchup, and the emphasis should remain on them when they are on the court.

  • Jalen Brunson should work in isolation per usual while simultaneously facilitating and finding his teammates for open looks. Movement without the ball will be key, and don't be surprised if you see more backdoor cuts from Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges from feeds set up by Brunson.

  • Karl-Anthony Towns had a down second round series from behind the arc, shooting just 3-19. That abysmal shooting line won't happen again, and the coaching staff needs to find ways to get him the ball in space for easy looks. There were multiple games in the first round where he shot 50% from behind the arc, and he needs to find that rhythm again. The Pacers have allowed close to 39 three-point attempts through the playoffs so far, per NBA.com, so the volume is there, but Towns just needs to get a few to fall. I expect him to build that confidence back up from the jump to find his stroke again.

• Can we talk about OG Anunoby for a second? He's usually a guy I would focus on from a defensive point of view, but when his offense gets going, he gives the Knicks lightning in a bottle that they can lean on for quick points. Through the first two rounds, he is shooting almost 38% from 3-point land. In the second round against Boston, he attempted 43 three-pointers good for second on the team behind Jalen Brunson. The volume is there, and I'd like to see him continue feeling confident with his three-point shot and getting some to go down early and often in this series. He could play a key role in getting the Knicks out in front with his shooting.

Final Thoughts

I feel a bit relieved after taking down the Celtics, because it feels like anything is possible. The Knicks needed to get over the hump and they did so without having to play a Game 7. The Pacers are a formidable opponent in many ways, but it feels like momentum is finally on the Knicks' side for once. I'm not jumping to conclusions just yet, but if the Knicks play they way they did to close out the Celtics last Friday, then anything is possible, and a trip to the NBA Finals may be closer than it appears.

A dog fight is expected in this series, and the Knicks need to continue to play through Brunson and Towns with an emphasis on switching and rotating on defense that did them well in the second round. I love seeing them stick to the fundamentals on defense, and that's probably why Mitchell Robinson is one of my favorites players.

Take care of business early in the first two games of the series at home and force Indiana into discomfort before heading on the road. Momentum is going to be a massive factor in this series, and I believe the team that grabs it early will own their destiny.