New York Knicks Running on Empty at Series Finish Line vs. Indiana Pacers

Another 48 minutes are standing in between the New York Knicks and the Eastern Conference finals.

And chances are, New York coach Tom Thibodeau is going to make sure most of his starters don’t miss a single second.

Thibodeau has been running the Knicks’ starting unit into the ground during the postseason, and it will be put to the test once again on Sunday during Game 7 of a semifinal series with the Indiana Pacers.

New York had a chance to close out the best-of-seven set on Friday night, but it fell 116-103 on the road in Game 6. Jalen Brunson paced the Knicks with 31 points, while Miles McBride had 20 and Donte DiVincenzo finished with 17.

DiVincenzo logged 39 minutes on Friday, Brunson finished with 38 and McBride totaled 35. Isaiah Hartenstein (33 minutes) and Josh Hart (31) rounded out the starting five.

Hart was limited by an abdominal injury, and it’s honestly shocking that he made it this far with a relatively clean bill of health considering Thibodeau has been playing him 42.6 minutes per game during the playoffs.

Brunson (40.7 minutes per game), OG Anunoby (40.0) and DiVincenzo (35.3) have also been victims of a coach who would take his starters gasping for air over Shake Milton minutes any day of the week.

We can’t say we blame him, but still...

This New York team has got to be absolutely gassed.

Thibodeau’s game plan caught up with Anunoby on May 8, when the forward left the Knicks’ Game 2 victory over Indiana with a hamstring injury. He hasn’t played since, and now New York is waiting to see if Hart will be good to go for Game 7.

DiVincenzo still likes the Knicks’ chances on Sunday, regardless of who ends up shouldering the load.

“Obviously you never wanna see anybody get hurt. But bro it’s been our season,” DiVincenzo said. “Whatever five’s on the court, we have a blueprint here. (Thibodeau) demands certain things from certain guys, and you go out there and you compete your tails off.

“… So that’s our mindset. Whether (Hart) goes or not, that’s our mindset.”

As far as we can tell, DiVincenzo wasn’t blinking in morse code while speaking to reporters in an attempt to get out of another 40-plus-minute night. But just how much does he -- and the rest of the starting five -- have left in the tank?

It can’t be much.

Even though the series is headed back to New York and the Knicks are the more experienced team when it comes to dealing with the pressure of the playoffs, the Pacers might have the edge here.

Should New York come up short in Game 7, who else is to blame aside from Thibodeau? He certainly didn’t treat the postseason like a marathon, and you might not even be able to call it a sprint.

This is a 40-yard dash, and that’s an event better suited for the combine rather than the hardwood.