Getting a chance to play a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden didn’t faze the Indiana Pacers one bit as their red-hot shooting led them to victory.
The Pacers shot an NBA playoff-record 67.1 percent from the floor. They made pretty much every 3-pointer, jump shot, and layup they took. It all added up to a 130-109 Eastern Conference semifinal series-clinching win over the New York Knicks. Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 26 points while Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard added 20 points apiece.
From the tipoff until the fourth quarter, the Knicks were constantly in catchup mode. Indiana established the game’s pace as they surged to a 39-27 lead in the first quarter. The Pacers even managed to get a 20-point lead in the second quarter. But the Knicks rallied late, narrowing Indiana’s lead to 15, 70-55, at halftime.
Donte DiVincenzo led all Knicks scorers with 39 points. Jalen Brunson finished with 17 points, most of that coming in the second half. But Brunson suffered a fractured left hand in the third quarter. He did not return to the game, pretty much sealing New York’s fate. Alec Burks added 26 points in a reserve role.
Myles Turner Gives Credit To Indiana Pacers Teammate
The Pacers now move on to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will play the Boston Celtics. Due to the length of the Pacers-Knicks series, the Celtics have had some extra time to rest up.
“We have a historic offense obviously, but this guy got things rolling and everybody kind of just followed suit,” center Myles Turner, who scored 17 points, said, according to The Associated Press. Turner made his comments while pointing in Haliburton’s direction. “To do that on the road here in the Garden in Game 7 is phenomenal, but I think this is what we’ve been doing all season long and we were able to show it on the biggest stage.”
Longtime NBA fans are well aware of the deep history between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. It dates back to clashes involving Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Reggie Miller. In this series, though, Haliburton and Brunson led their teams’ charge.
“I just told our team when you win a Game 7 in Madison Square Garden, you’ve made history,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
“I think it’s just the old-school way of thinking that you can’t play this fast in the playoffs, but I think opportunistically you can do it,” Haliburton said. “I think if we’re able to get stops, of course we can.” When talking with the media postgame, Haliburton was wearing a sweatshirt with Miller’s picture of him making a choking sign from a playoff game at MSG.
Also Read: Breaking: Minnesota Timberwolves Stun Defending Champs With Incredible Game 7 Finish
New York Knicks Fought Through Injuries
OG Anunoby started for the Knicks after missing the previous four playoff games with a hamstring strain. Even though it was a Herculean effort to get back on the court, Anunoby wasn’t that mobile. He was removed from the game after just five minutes of play, never to return.
This was a New York Knicks team that battled injury woes throughout its season. Pivotal players like Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanovich were injured and out for the year. When the Knicks lost Anunoby and Brunson, well, that was about all she wrote. Josh Hart, suffering from a groin strain, went out there and gave his team 37 minutes of play. He finished with 10 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
“Knowing that this team gave its best effort all year long, I can live with the result,” New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It’s disappointing, but in the end, there’s only going to be one happy team. Twenty-nine teams will fall short. This team fought like crazy and there’s no regret.”
The Indiana Pacers made 10 of their first 11 shots, sending them to that first-quarter lead. A celebrity-laden crowd, with the likes of Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Chris Meloni, and John McEnroe in the seats, didn’t have much to cheer early on. When the Knicks made periodic rallies, the fans stood up and cheered loudly. But Indiana shut them up pretty quickly, answering with buckets of their own.
When asked if he saw the Knicks’ season as a success, Brunson said after the game, “No.” Brunson was asked if he could add some perspective to his short answer. He said, according to Hardwood Heroics, “Did we win the championship? Did we get close? That’s my mindset, this is how it is.”
As Indiana moves on to the Eastern Conference Finals, New York will have plenty of time to heal from their injuries.
For Further Sports Insights…
Joe Rutland is an author, writer, and editor whose work has appeared on numerous large-scale digital platforms. Among them are Entrepreneur, The Good Men Project, The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Elite Daily. Rutland is on X @JosephRutland5.
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily-detailed articles daily on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content Total Apex Sports. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
