The Indiana Pacers get their chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead later tonight as the Knicks reportedly are contemplating a starting lineup change and possibly going big with Mitchell Robinson in for Josh Hart.
“There are a lot of traps here,” Rick Carlisle said after Game 2. “You can not assume going home is going to be easier. It never is. Each game as you ascend in a playoff series is harder. And New York’s got an amazing fighting spirit, so we’re going to have to focus on our process.”
Before we get there, some key contributors from Game 2 deserve to be discussed. I compared the Pacers team to the Guardians of the Galaxy before the series and they went deep in the roster of heroes to get the Game 2 win. When Carlisle said they needed everybody, he really meant every single player 1 through 15 on the roster.
The Pacers collection of heroes don’t reflect a superteam like the 2017 Warriors, the Avengers, or the Traveling Wilburys.
It’s more like the Guardians of the Galaxy, a bunch of outcasts and misfits banded together.
On what makes this team so special:https://t.co/nTV1Ai7VuH pic.twitter.com/MSekM82pgR
— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) May 20, 2025
Ben Sheppard, Cosmo the Spacedog
If there’s a superhero down the long list of Guardians characters for Ben Sheppard, Cosmo the Spacedog seems fitting. The always smiling role player willing to do whatever is needed perfectly embodies the Labrador-Golden Retriever mix that got sent to space.
Shep’s either been hit by some trap from the Joker to lock his face with that smile or he’s loyal dog energy personified
“It’s just so big for our team that guys get tired and you can throw a guy like Ben Sheppard in there who is going to give 150% and do whatever is asked of him without any complaint,” TJ McConnell, who is definitely Mantis with his ability to get into people’s head while constantly being underestimated, said. “Whatever role we need from him, he does. He makes big shots and he kind of makes this thing go in a way when we need it. In this business, that’s really your job and he does it at a high level. That’s why he’s so valuable. A guy that’s hasn’t played a ton and in the fourth quarter he gets thrown in there, it changes the game essentially. It’s such a high-level thing to do and he does it time after time.”
In Game 1, it seemed like Rick Carlisle was going to try and shorten the rotation as neither Ben Sheppard or Jarace Walker, who have been the final spot in the rotation for the playoffs, saw time on the floor until the fourth quarter. Then, Sheppard came in and soaked up valuable possessions as a point of attack defender in the Pacers improbable comeback victory.
“He’s always ready,” Carlisle said. “When you play against teams that, at the point of attack, are very strong, you need runners and movers and people who can scramble up the game.”
Sheppard played much earlier than that in Game 2 after his strong performance and it immediately paid dividends with a forced miss from Jalen Brunson and hit a 3-pointer in the first half. With Benn Mathurin struggling on both ends of the floor in the first half, Sheppard ended up taking his minutes in the second half and showed even more value when he’s not tasked with defending Brunson with strong possessions as a team defender and point of attack against Cam Payne. Sheppard hit another triple at the top of the key in the 4th quarter in the Pacers crucial run to start the final 12 minutes.
“Shep is huge, man,” Aaron Nesmith said. “Any time his name is called he seems to always be ready, knocking down threes, to guarding guys 94 feet, bringing energy and crashing the boards … every time he gets an opportunity he brings it. He made big-time shots today and helped us get this lead and sustain it. When he comes in, he allows us to take a break on that lead guy, allows us to get rest.”
The Pacers don’t win this game without him and it’ll be interesting to see how the minutes shake up between him and Mathurin through the rest of the series. If Sheppard is hitting his outside shot, he’s a very impactful contributor as he went 2 for 3 from deep in Game 2 but you can always count on his energy and effort being at 100% which makes him easy for Carlisle to trust.
“He’s a guy that is very dependable,” Carlisle said. “He goes in and you know you’re going to get hard play, running, real effort, attention to detail. He plays with a pace and an energy that’s healthy to our team.”
Sheppard may not know how much he’s going to play but he knows why his name is called when it is.
“I know what I’m in there for,” Sheppard said. “I’m in there for energy and defense and open shots and just being a spark off the bench. … I know when they put me into situations like that it’s because coach trusts me. I know that he trusts me and I’m not trying to lose that trust.”
Tony Bradley, the Ravager
Tony Bradley much like a random Ravager that when he comes into the game you might be wondering. “What’s that guy’s name again?” if you’re not a diehard. A journeyman fighting for his survival to stay in the league with one key skill that could be of value in the series: rebounding.
After the first quarter of Game 2, Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant had two fouls and the struggles to contain Mitchell Robinson on the glass were as bad as ever. Carlisle chose the start the next quarter with Tony Bradley, who joined the team in March with a pair of 10-day contracts before being signed for the remainder of the season after being out of the league in the previous season. And, it worked.
“Tony Bradley hasn’t played in the series, but he’s one of our better rebounders,” Carlisle said. “We elected to go with him to spell Myles a little bit. We’re a team that needs everybody. That’s how we’ve got to play.”
In the first half, Bradley focused on boxing out Robinson and did a great job forcing him out of the play and keeping him off the offensive glass. While he only finished with one offensive and one defensive rebound in his 8 minutes, he did his job against Robinson. He even made a good contest against Brunson to force a miss and got the Pacers a transition opportunity. He was +2 in his four minutes of the first half. Huge after Pacers lost Bryant’s four minutes by 9.
“Just go hard,” Tony Bradley said of his mindset when coming into the game. “That’ll probably be the answer to the next question to. … I was just focused on keeping Robinson off the glass, staying in contact with him, putting a body on him, trying to get him tired.”
In the second half, the Knicks wisely seemed more intent on attacking Bradley in the pick and roll as they immediately went to that and got a wide open Brunson 3 for their troubles. It did not look like Bradley was going to be playable after that possession but Carlisle called a timeout not to remove him from the game but to upgrade the point of attack defense and instruct Bradley to at the level of the screen instead of in a drop. He survived from them well enough and continued to do his best to get a body on Robinson and force him away from the rebound. Pacers ended up +1 in his 8 minutes. Not insignificant for a guy that wasn’t on the team until March and had no expectations of playing in the postseason.
“What’s really special about our group right now is that we have so many different people contributing,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “So many people doing special things. … Shout-out to Tony Bradley, he was huge. He’s such an awesome guy and contributes in so many different ways. When we’re doing our scout, he’s had to be our scout center. He’ll get thrown in with our first group in practice to fill in for Myles when he’s going through some things … just so special to see what our group is doing.”
Shout-out to Groot, Myles Turner, for his fantastic fourth quarter where he scored 13 of his 16 points with an and-1 dunk, a pick and pop middy, a corner 3-pointer off of a Haliburton drive and kick. Many timely buckets and a crucial rebound and made free throws in the closing moments to help hold the lead and the victory.
Now they’ll have to face the long-time villain, the Extender Scott Foster in Game 3 as they attempt to get one of two remaining wins needed to make it to the NBA Finals.
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