Knicks Season Ends in Game 7 vs. Pacers

PACERS 130 - KNICKS 109 - IND wins series 4-3. 

 In the end, the injuries proved to be too much to handle. 

The 2023-24 New York Knicks who captured the hearts of their fans across the Tri-State Area with their grit and toughness all season long, took the Pacers to the brink in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, only to fall in Game 7, 130 - 109. 

At the end of the day, the injures piled up beyond repair. In Game 7 alone, Jalen Brunson left the game with a fractured left hand, and Donte DiVincezo had the wind knocked out of him at one point as he tried to lead the Knicks practically, and even literary by himself. 

Josh Hart who played 37 minutes, despite a abdomen injury he suffered in Game 6, managed to score only 10 points. 

OG Anunoby who missed the past four games with a hamstring injury, lasted only five minutes. A shame, because in the opening five minutes of this game, he gave New York a lift with five points. 

So as Knicks fans settled into their seats, pleading and hoping their Knicks would find a way to keep this season going, reality quickly settled in too. 

The Pacers were on fire. They hit just about every shot they took, leading by 12 points by the end of the first quarter, 39-27. At halftime, the Pacers were hitting at an astounding 70 percent from the floor. They finished the game shooting 67 percent, a new NBA playoff record. 

Everybody was in double-figures for Indiana. 

Tyreese Haliburton led the way with 26 points, while Paskal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard each had 20 points a piece. 

The Pacers were one of the NBA's highest scoring teams during the regular season, and proved in this series against the smaller Knicks to be too much. 

Whether it be on the boards, careening inside the paint, or taking long distance mid range shots. The Pacers were better than the Knicks. 

The Knicks missed having Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle plugging up the middle, because Myles Turner and Isiah Jackson ate the Knicks lunch all series long. 

The Pacers pounded the Knicks inside, and by Game 7 they had worn them down completely. 

Still this series doesn't at all diminish what the Knicks accomplished this season. 

It was the best season the Knicks have had in over 11-years when the Knicks won 54 games with Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and crew, but lost in the conference semi's to ... you guessed it .. the Indiana Pacers. 

The feeling though is different. The Knicks have a core now. They just need to get healthy, and build this team to become stronger inside, and maybe then the Knicks can finally get back to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.