Last night the New York Knicks played Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, losing 130-121 as the Pacers took 3-1 in the series.
The Knicks had a horrible shooting night in last night’s game, with 38 out 82 field goals made. The Knicks had a chance to get back in the game but missed a lot of layups in the fourth quarter. The Knicks offense was not clicking yesterday with 17 turnovers, which led the Pacers to make more buckets.
The Knicks’ defense was ok in last night’s game, but there is still much more to improve since the Knicks are 8th in defense in the playoffs. Their defense couldn’t stop Tyrese Haliburton, allowing him to get a triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists.
The New York Knicks ended their regular season with a 51-31 record, clinching the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks played against the Detroit Pistons, which the Knicks won 4-2. In the Conference Semifinals, the Knicks played against a very strong Boston Celtics side, and they again won that series 4-2. Now the Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals playing against the Indiana Pacers, down 3-1 in the series with Game 5 on Thursday night at MSG.
Some key things need to happen for the Knicks to get a win in game 5. They need to stop Haliburton because we know he can do everything. Next is making sure Jalen Brunson stays out of foul trouble because without him, the Knicks can’t do anything. The team needs to make sure that Brunson gets the ball. In every game this series, Brunson has scored over 20 points, averaging 33.3 points per game. The most important key is making sure the Knicks make their free throws. I think the Knicks have the advantage going into this game because they know they have to win to stay alive and game 5 is at the Garden, where fans are going to be loud and hyping up their home team.
The Knicks need to keep the momentum going on the court to win the series. Don’t slow down and really use the crowd support to their advantage at the Garden. Do it for the fans that go to every game and support the team because we haven’t seen the Knicks in the finals since the shortened 1999 season.
