The Knicks Are in Big, Ugly Trouble Against the Pacers

After a blown lead in Game 1 and a wire-to-wire defeat in Game 2, the New York Knicks are in deep trouble in their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers entered the NBA playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the East and have quickly become the story of the postseason. They discarded Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, then did the same to Donovan Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

New York dropped both games at Madison Square Garden — a building known for its ferocious postseason environment. But the Pacers are on a warpath, having now won six consecutive road games — nearly unheard of in the NBA playoffs.

In the history of the NBA conference finals, teams that have dropped both games on their home floor to fall behind 0-2 are 0-17 in comeback bids. It’s never been done. The Knicks are, quite literally, up against basketball history — and arguably the hottest team remaining in the Pacers.

Call it aura farming in Game 1, but Tyrese Haliburton’s late two-point shot and infamous “choke” celebration recreation likely did some damage to the Knicks’ morale. This is the same Pacers team that walked into Cleveland and took the chain off the No. 1 seed in the East.

Still, New York kept things competitive in Game 2. The Knicks led at moments and even put together a serious comeback bid late in the fourth quarter.

It’s clear New York finally has the star power to make a run. Jalen Brunson hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each contributed 20 points. Josh Hart and OG Anunoby were both solid throughout.

But it seems like the Knicks simply ran into a buzzsaw. The Pacers are relentless — and don’t even possess the same level of star power. Head coach Rick Carlisle is coaching circles around Tom Thibodeau, squeezing maximum effort out of his roster even when Haliburton wasn’t superhuman in Game 2. They just keep finding ways to win. It’s truly an annoying basketball team.

Now the series shifts to Indiana. The Hoosier State lives and breathes hoops. The Pacers have stolen home-court advantage and now have a chance to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals in front of their home fans.

Just one year after falling just short of the Finals, the Pacers are now two wins away. Meanwhile, after winning the offseason by acquiring Towns and Bridges, the Knicks and their fans could soon be back at the drawing board — firing up trade machines and circulating social media jersey swaps of the next star rumored to be on the move.