KNICKS 105, Pacers 79
An offensive explosion thanks in part to their uncanny ability to convert turnovers into points keyed a 105-79 blowout in favor of the Knicks, as New York tied their best-of-seven series with the Indiana Pacers.
After a sluggish Game 1 that saw the Knicks shoot horribly from the floor, New York made it a point to find as many ways to score as they could against the physical Pacers. New York forced 21 turnovers on the night for 32 points, which proved to be a mega difference in the victory.
Right from the get-go the Knicks offense was on fire; jumping out to an 27-18 lead thanks to three-pointers by Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith.
The Pacers couldn't find their groove early on, and it stayed that way. In the first quarter, Indiana turned the ball over five times, and missed eight shots, as they struggled to keep pace after down nine after the first. The Knicks out-hustled them in every aspect of the game. Whether it was Keynon Martin; or Jason Kidd; or Tyson Chandler; and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks put tremendous defensive pressure on a Pacers unit that is not only bigger but a better shooting team overall.
New York extended their lead to double digits a couple of times in the second quarter, with the exclamation point coming when Iman Shumpert squeezed through the lane -- in mid-air -- to grab a missed three-pointer by Chris Copeland and slam it through the net for the put-back, giving the Knicks a 37-26 advantage. Shumpert would add another bucket on a lay-up to make it 39-28, and Keyon Martin drove to the hoop for slam dunk to extend the lead to 43-34.
Indiana tired to make a comeback in the third quarter, but their run was short lived. They tied the game at 58 on Roy Hibbert's seven foot jumper, and took their first lead of the night on a three-pointer by Lance Stephenson. That was it.
If the Pacers were hoping the Knicks shooting woes would return after they took that slim 61-60 lead, those hopes were quickly dashed. Carmelo Anthony knocked down consecutive shots to give the Knicks a 66-64 lead with 2:09 to go in the third.
From there the Knicks offense kicked it into high gear. The Knicks went on a 30-2 run in the fourth quarter, highlighted by back-to-back buckets by Pablo Prigioni to open the quarter, and a long distance three pointer by Anthony to extend the Knicks lead to 82-66 that electrified the crowd.
The Knicks who thrived off of playing great defense in the fourth quarter of their series against Boston continued that trend outscoring the Pacers 33-13 in this fourth quarter. Anthony who had struggled in the postseason broke out of his slump knocking down 13-of-26 shots with nine boards; he scored 32 points. Shumpert added 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Felton put up 14 points of 5-of-9 shooting.
With the series tied at one, the Knicks-Pacers semis now turn to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Saturday night. Can the Knicks keep the pressure on? Can they continue to play great defense against the larger Pacers? We will have to wait and see.
An offensive explosion thanks in part to their uncanny ability to convert turnovers into points keyed a 105-79 blowout in favor of the Knicks, as New York tied their best-of-seven series with the Indiana Pacers.
After a sluggish Game 1 that saw the Knicks shoot horribly from the floor, New York made it a point to find as many ways to score as they could against the physical Pacers. New York forced 21 turnovers on the night for 32 points, which proved to be a mega difference in the victory.
Right from the get-go the Knicks offense was on fire; jumping out to an 27-18 lead thanks to three-pointers by Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith.
The Pacers couldn't find their groove early on, and it stayed that way. In the first quarter, Indiana turned the ball over five times, and missed eight shots, as they struggled to keep pace after down nine after the first. The Knicks out-hustled them in every aspect of the game. Whether it was Keynon Martin; or Jason Kidd; or Tyson Chandler; and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks put tremendous defensive pressure on a Pacers unit that is not only bigger but a better shooting team overall. New York extended their lead to double digits a couple of times in the second quarter, with the exclamation point coming when Iman Shumpert squeezed through the lane -- in mid-air -- to grab a missed three-pointer by Chris Copeland and slam it through the net for the put-back, giving the Knicks a 37-26 advantage. Shumpert would add another bucket on a lay-up to make it 39-28, and Keyon Martin drove to the hoop for slam dunk to extend the lead to 43-34.
Indiana tired to make a comeback in the third quarter, but their run was short lived. They tied the game at 58 on Roy Hibbert's seven foot jumper, and took their first lead of the night on a three-pointer by Lance Stephenson. That was it.
If the Pacers were hoping the Knicks shooting woes would return after they took that slim 61-60 lead, those hopes were quickly dashed. Carmelo Anthony knocked down consecutive shots to give the Knicks a 66-64 lead with 2:09 to go in the third.
From there the Knicks offense kicked it into high gear. The Knicks went on a 30-2 run in the fourth quarter, highlighted by back-to-back buckets by Pablo Prigioni to open the quarter, and a long distance three pointer by Anthony to extend the Knicks lead to 82-66 that electrified the crowd.
The Knicks who thrived off of playing great defense in the fourth quarter of their series against Boston continued that trend outscoring the Pacers 33-13 in this fourth quarter. Anthony who had struggled in the postseason broke out of his slump knocking down 13-of-26 shots with nine boards; he scored 32 points. Shumpert added 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Felton put up 14 points of 5-of-9 shooting.
With the series tied at one, the Knicks-Pacers semis now turn to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Saturday night. Can the Knicks keep the pressure on? Can they continue to play great defense against the larger Pacers? We will have to wait and see.
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