The Indiana Pacers, after winning the first two games of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Knicks, lost Game 3, the first at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana led by as many as 20 points, but Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, and Josh Hart suddenly turned Bill Russell on the boards, grabbing five critical rebounds when it mattered most.
The Pacers, despite jumping out to an early lead, simply couldn't keep up with the Knicks down the stretch, and have been kicking themselves for it since Sunday night.
They recently revealed how they plan to get back to basics in Game 4 and take a 3-1 series lead.
"We didn't play fast enough," said Myles Turner. "You know, we built our brand. And, you know, getting up and down and being a fast-paced team, we didn't execute that well enough."
In Game 1, the Pacers took 100 shots, 89 of which were in regulation. Since then, they have been unable to crack the 80 mark, although they will come out swinging on Tuesday.
"We just got to continue to be us on makes and misses and get out and play fast, said TJ McConnell after the loss. "I don't think we did that."
In an effort to push the pace, expect Rick Carlisle to utilize all three of his centers--Turner, Thomas Bryant, and Tony Bradley--and allow both Tyrese Haliburton and McConnell to share the court, both of whom can drive into the paint or create fast breaks with ease.
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