The series between the Knicks and the Pacers can be said to be quite interesting. The Knicks took a 2-0 lead in the first two games, only to lose two in a row. When it came to the Tianwang Mountain game, the Knicks played another trick on their side, so they won a 30-point victory, leaving the Pacers with no choice. In fact, the Knicks also understand that it is impossible to win quickly against the opponent, so it is better to slow down. In this game, the Knicks also learned smart, although it was a 7-man rotation, but on the whole, they did not use the main force as hard as before, so the game was also changed. As far as this game is concerned, there are also many points that can be analyzed. After winning by 30 points, the first guard is back, and 4 people have become great contributors to book a place in the finals.
If you want to say that the heroes of this game win, there are 4 people on the Knicks' side. The first is Brunson. I have to say that the No. 1 guard in the East this year is Brunson, and he doesn't accept rebuttals. Brunson has one more 40+ games, and that's top ability. Brunson shot efficiently from the field, hitting 18-of-35 shots and 2-of-6 three-pointers to finish with 44 points and seven assists. As far as Brunson is concerned, it is definitely a top-notch existence. One thing to make clear, that is, the last game gave Brunson a good rest, and this one can surprise you. Brunson is the team's baseman, and Thibodeau uses him heavily. Brunson has been able to get to this position in this series.
The second is McBride. As a player who was temporarily pushed to the start, his performance was also very good. He made 7-of-15 shots and 3-of-7 three-pointers to finish with 17 points. In terms of scores, he replaced the injured Anunoby. In addition, the guy was able to pass the ball and handed out 4 assists. The third is Hart. Although Hart didn't shoot very efficiently in this game, he was able to help the team in his own way, scoring 18 points and also 11 rebounds. Hart is one such player, and when he's on the pitch, he's quite brave. Fourth place is Berks. Burks was a wonder man off the bench, hitting 6-of-11 shots and 5-of-8 from three-point range to score 18 points and helping the starters well.
In addition, we have to do a few data comparisons, just look at the situation of the two sides in this game. The Pacers have Turner's interior line, but they're pretty poor at rebounding protection. The Pacers had just 29 rebounds as a team, with five rebounds in the front court and 24 rebounds in the backcourt. On the other hand, the Knicks had 53 rebounds in the game, including 20 frontcourt rebounds. As the saying goes, the one who wins the rebound wins the world, this is not false at all. With a lot of frontcourt rebounds, there are more opportunities to shoot. The Knicks took 101 shots, compared to the Pacers' 72, a gap of 29. Because of this, the Knicks have a chance of trial and error, and even if they are shooting 46.5% from the field, they can hit 47 of them.
I have to say that the current Knicks have got the match point, and with their ability, they basically booked a place in the finals, and in the next game, the Knicks only need to step on the gas pedal again, and the game will be smooth. Thibodeau, the coach, is actually adapting, at least not using the main force in Tianwang Mountain, even if it is a big victory. Let's see how the Pacers adjust in the next game and whether the Knicks can finish the series in Game 6. That's the way the game is, now it's all about playing.