The Knicks ushered in a major positive before the seven-game game! On May 19, Beijing time, according to Shams and Woj of the Athletic, Hart was diagnosed with an abdominal strain, but he will try to play in the tie-break with the injury, and his current state is doubtful (50% likely to play). Anunoby's form has also been upgraded from being absent to being doubtful and is expected to return. In addition, the ticket price of the Seven Great War has soared, and it is really going to be earned.
Shams reports that Knicks player Josh Hart has an abdominal strain, but he will try to play in the tiebreaker against the Pacers. Hart withdrew from the game after suffering from abdominal soreness in the previous game, playing less than 31 minutes and finishing with five points, eight rebounds and three assists. In the playoffs this season, Hart has played in 12 games so far, averaging 42.6 minutes per game, scoring 14.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks. He can play in the tie-break, which is crucial for the Knicks. Teammate Hatten once said that Hart would play as long as his leg was not broken.
Another positive thing is that Anunoby is expected to make a comeback. He has missed the last four playoff games due to injury, and the Knicks have won 1-3 in those four games. In this year's playoffs, Anunoby played in 8 games, averaging 40 minutes per game, contributing 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1 steal and 1.1 blocks.
In the regular season, the Knicks were 20-3 in the 23 games Hart played after joining the Knicks, and the Knicks were 13-15 in the 28 games he missed.
The seven-tie-break battle of this series was arranged to be held in Madison, the home court of the Knicks, and I have to say that it was really profitable. Ticketing website TickPick points out that the Knicks-Pacers tie-break is one of the most expensive NBA playoff tickets ever.
The lowest price for all tickets for the Pacers' regular season home stadium is $566, or about 4,088.61 yuan. In other words, you need to spend a total of $566 to watch all 41 regular season games this year on the Pacers' home court, but the Knicks' home game against the Pacers has a minimum ticket price of $610, or about 4406.46 yuan.
The game will be played at 3:30 a.m. Beijing time on May 20, who do you think the Knicks or the Pacers can win this tiebreaker? ESPN's current predicted win rate is 45% for the Pacers and 55% for the Knicks.