The Indiana Pacers Force Decisive Game 7 Against New York

The Indiana Pacers Coach Rick Carsile challenged his team to play more physically, and they did. They out rebounded the New York Knicks 47-35. That was something they needed to fix, as their lack of rebounding helped New York win game 5.

Pascal Siakam finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. Myles Turner finished the game with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The two Pacers bigs helped spread the floor against the New York defense. Tyrese Haliburton scored 15 points from an efficient 6-12 from the field. He notched 9 assists in the game.

In order for Indiana to win game 7, they must be aggressive on the boards. They’re also a solid transition team with a fast paced play-style, but transition offense starts by securing the rebounds.

What Went Wrong For The New York Knicks?

The Knicks didn’t have that same rebounding tenacity that they became known for throughout this year. They were also missing OG Anunoby, who’s dealing with a left strained hamstring. He’s officially ruled out for game 7 on Sunday.

Josh Hart also appeared a little bit banged up with tape on his ribs. His game 6 performance was lackluster compared to his other playoff games. Hart finished the game with 5 points and 8 rebounds. Hart is nearly guaranteed to be a threat on the boards, but he’s usually a scoring threat as well. However, he went 2-8 from the field and 1-4 from beyond the arc.

The Knicks have to be aggressive on the boards to beat the Indiana Pacers in game 7. Health is a major concern for them, as it is with the Boston Celtics, who are waiting for one of the two teams in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Before they can focus on their long-time rivals, they must focus on disrupting Tyrese Haliburton’s court vision. The young floor general had 9 assists against the Knicks. Hartenstein also must find a better way to play on-ball defense against Pascal Siakam. The two bigs have been going back and forth in one-upping each other in the series. We’ll see the final conclusion of their battle under the rim this Sunday.