I know there are fans who, in a way, dread playoff game day because of the stress, and anxiety that it can cause. And the emotions that are evoked from said games only amplify as the playoffs go on. The pressure and stakes are increased, while the number of remaining teams decreases. But even for those fans, today could not come soon enough. Because less than 48 hours ago, the Knicks pulled off the unthinkable, but in the worst way possible. And a loss tonight would put the Knicks one game closer to not only their season ending, but fans and front office members potentially asking themselves if the end goal is truly possible. Can this core get it done? Do they have enough? Is this the right coach? Is this team just eternally cursed?
The good thing though, is that regardless of how disastrous you lose a game in the playoffs, it counts for one loss. And if the Knicks can regroup, and take the good from Game One, then those scary, and dark thoughts get pushed to the backs of everyone’s minds, if not thrown out completely. It may sound fickle, but such is the nature of sports, and being a fan.
It’s hard to remember, or even care, but New York had the lead for the majority of the game and looked like the better team for the first 45 minutes. They took advantage of Indiana by putting a non-center on Josh Hart and reverted to their pre-All-Star break offense that looked like one of the three best offenses in the league. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns not only won their individual matchups but also dominated, looking like the two best players in the series.
The defense, while still imperfect, held up decently well, holding the Pacers to just 94 points with a little over six minutes left to go in regulation. They kept Pascal Siakam in check and got the Pacers to rely on Haliburton as a scorer. The Indiana point guard was incredible all game long, but the Pacers are often at their best when the scoring is a bit more balanced.
The interesting thing is, that Game One, much like the entirety of this Knicks season really, likely says a lot about how you handle Knicks losses. While it’s hard to be positive, there is a thought that the Knicks, as stated earlier, were the better team for the overwhelming majority of the game and that it took a lot of improbable things to happen for the Pacers to win. OG Anunoby had multiple head-scratching mistakes on the defensive end. He and the Knicks missed free throws. Jalen Brunson, instead of holding on to the ball, tried to sneak in a pass to Anunoby, which led to a turnover. Aaron Nesmith, who has been a revelation for the Pacers all season long, turned into the greatest shooter of all time. And Haliburton got the luckiest bounce anyone has seen at Madison Square Garden since Dirk Nowitzki hit a regular-season game-winner against them in 2014.
If you look at the negative though, it’s the fact that the Pacers can play better. The Knicks had a golden chance to win Game One decisively, despite getting little offensively from Hart, and despite Anunoby playing an incredibly poor first half. Now, if you look at it from the Pacers’ side, they’re thinking about how despite Brunson, and Towns combining for nearly 80 points, and despite Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride contributing with incredible efforts off the bench, the Pacers won and did so on the road.
All the momentum is on Indiana’s side and, if the Knicks want to win the series, and keep Game One from being scorched into NBA fans’ minds as not only the greatest choke job ever but one of the most impactful collapses that could have lasting impacts for years to come, they must win tonight.
Prediction
If this Knicks team has done one thing incredibly well all postseason long, it has been staying resilient. After Game Two of the Pistons series, the Knicks won a tough Game Three. After they blew a chance to clinch the series at home, they won a difficult game six on the road. When the Knicks got blown out in Game Three in Boston, they came back and played the best game of their season up until that point in Game Four. Days after losing to a Jayson Tatum-less Celtics team, they came back to New York and clinched a playoff series at home for the first time in over two decades in a one-sided blowout.
They have become very adept at blocking out the outside noise, believing in themselves, and each other, and playing with a chip on their shoulder. And I expect them to bounce back yet again tonight. Indiana knows to expect a ruckus crowd and an angry, and focused Knicks team, so chances are they won’t back down either. They are, after all, like the Knicks, good enough to have gotten to this point. But I expect Brunson, who is averaging 33.5PPG, 7.8APG, and 4.8RPG following playoff losses (excluding the game in which he broke his hand last season), to carry this team. I expect Towns to continue to dominate. I expect the defense, even if it doesn’t become an impenetrable force, to be better than it was as a whole in Game One. I expect Robinson and McBride to continue to provide good minutes off the bench. And I expect Anunoby to not have the kind of mental lapses he had time and time again on Wednesday.
I have the Knicks by double-digits to tie the series at 1-1.
Game Details
Date: Friday, May 23, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, NYC
TV Broadcast: TNT
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