Who Will Prevail in the Knicks vs. Pacers Series?
In a playoff series between two franchises that haven’t seen the second round of the playoffs in a decade, both enter this series hungry to finally break through and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. At the core of both franchises are young star talent with Jalen Brunson for the Knicks and Tyrese Haliburton for the Pacers. So what will be the keys for each team if they want to win this series?
If the Pacers are to pull off the upset, they must dictate the pace during each of these games are played. With the Pacers bolstering a fast-paced style of play, the Pacers must find a way to make the Knicks feel uncomfortable playing at their pace. If the Pacers are able to speed up the pace of the game then the Pacers will be able to run their offense through Haliburton effectively. With Haliburton averaging a little over nine assists per game in these playoffs so far, the Pacers must run the offense through him so he can make the right plays enabling the Pacers to get easy shots from others on the team from deep. A key matchup in this series will be Myles Turner vs. Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein. Myles Turner must be a dominant offensive presence for the Pacers to have success in this series. Turner’s ability to shoot well from three will play a key role in the Pacers' spacing to draw out the strong defensive centers away from the basket to create driving lanes for others on the team. However, the major question for the Pacers is if their defense will be able to hold up against the very physical nature of play from the Knicks' offense.
For the Knicks to win this series, they must continue playing aggressively on the defensive end and exploit the Pacers' weak half-court defense when they are on offense. Playing at a controlled and slower pace will be key to preventing the Pacers from getting into their desired style of play. Additionally, Jalen Brunson has been playing on a different level in these playoffs averaging 36 points, five rebounds, and nine assists so his contribution will be vital to the Knicks winning this series. If the Knicks are able to play controlled and not turn the ball over while on offense, preventing easy transition points for the Pacers, then the Knicks should win this series in about six games.
