Win and in for the Pacers.
Lose and doom for the Knicks.
Here’s what we’ve heard from Coach Thibs and a few other folks.
"We've been a team that's found a way to do the impossible. We just keep fighting. It's gonna be a testament to our whole playoff run. Now we have to be in one of the biggest fights of our lives"
–– KAT on Game 5 in the Garden Knicks down 3-1 pic.twitter.com/XrWFjzdeZ8
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 28, 2025
On the team failing to match Indiana’s intensity:
“They played with more intensity, more urgency. That has to change.”
On the need to defend Indiana better:
“They made tough shots, they made some tough 2s, but we have to be more into the ball, we have to be more into the ball-handler, the ball pressure has to be better, we have to challenge shots better.”
On the near-impossibility of guarding Tyrese Haliburton:
“You don’t guard a great player like Haliburton with just one guy. You need your whole team. If one guy is not doing his job, it breaks the whole thing down.”
On why the Knicks lost Game 4:
“I think obviously the biggest thing is our [defensive] rotations and our communication and our physicality. And those things, they go a long way.”
On his feelings after losing Game 4:
“It hurts. But the only thing we can do now is focus on what’s next and respond.”
On his mindset after going down 3–1 in the ECF:
“We’ve been counted out before. This team has fought through a lot. We’ve got to dig deep and find that again.”
On his mistakes in Game 4:
“I had too many bad turnovers. That can’t happen, especially in a game like this. It gave them momentum.”
On needing drastic change after losing Games 1 and 2 at home:
“Yeah, I think we need something drastic in terms of our energy and effort, our competitiveness. You saw that with Minnesota yesterday [in the Timberwolves’ Game 3 win over Oklahoma City]. They came out of the gate aggressive … But just every game of a playoff series the intensity has to pick up. You can’t have any lapses, especially to start the game and you allow a team like that, who is extremely talented offensively to get comfortable. I think that’s the biggest drastic thing we can do is have that energy change.”
On bringing physicality to Game 3 and beyond:
“I think we need something drastic in terms of our energy and effort and our competitiveness. Every game of a playoff series, the intensity has to pick up, and you can’t have any lapses, especially to start the game, and you allow a team like this who’s extremely talented offensively to get comfortable. I think that’s the biggest drastic thing we can do, is have that energy change.”
On the cost of minor lapses against Indiana’s offense:
“Especially against a team like this where they force you into the position to make mistakes. And, if you have one guy that messes up the coverage and one guy who isn’t communicating, one guy that doesn’t step up, it breaks the whole defense down. Now, you have to try to combat that and cover for that. A team like this that’s incredibly talented offensively, you can’t have any lapses. It just takes one domino to fall to just, you know. We all have to make sure we take pride in guarding our yard but being focused and locked in.”
On sacrificing offensive production for defense:
“I sacrifice myself on the offensive end so I can play on the defensive end to a high level. Sometimes I do wanna score more, but I’ve gotta put my energy on the defensive end. That’s what I want to bring: defense to this team. Other guys’ roles are to score.”
On assuming blame for the Game 4 loss:
“I didn’t do my job in the beginning. I’m supposed to be the anchor, and if I’m not talking, nobody is. That’s on me.”
On how the Knicks must start games going forward:
“We’ve got to come out swinging, play like our backs are against the wall, because they are.”
On the team’s bad habit of putting on slow starts:
“We can’t keep digging ourselves into these holes and thinking we’re going to have enough magic every time. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. We’ve done it all playoffs, but tonight it caught up with us.”
On the mindset heading into Game 5 inside MSG:
“We’ve got to regroup, go back home, focus on the next game, and get the job done. That’s the only thing on our minds right now.”
On the Game 4 loss in Indy:
“I’m not thinking about anything but the loss. We’ve just got to be better.”
Stephen A. Smith still isn’t ready to call Tyrese Haliburton a ‘superstar’
“I need to see more consistency before I give him that kind of label.”
( @FirstTake )
pic.twitter.com/kMR6tyzR5l
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 28, 2025
On Indiana’s mentality in Game 4:
“We just played desperate. We knew how important this game was. We didn’t want to go back to New York down 3–1. We did a great job responding.”
On exploiting Brunson defensively:
“We just wanted to continue to be aggressive. I thought our spacing was really good, and it opened things up. We knew they’d put Brunson in more actions, and we took advantage of that.”
On the Pacers’ second unit impact:
“We take pride in being that spark. When we come in, it’s about energy, pressure, and changing the pace of the game. That’s our job.”
On Indiana’s Game 4 start:
“We knew we had to come out with a punch. The start was everything.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s impact:
“Robinson’s been very impactful for them since he’s been back. He was plus-40-something in the Boston series. He creates possessions. He made free throws towards the latter parts of that series. And defensively, he gives them a lot of versatility. His ability to switch onto smaller players is special for a guy his size. And so he’s a major factor — a guy we’ve been talking a lot about.
On Haliburton’s bounce-back performance:
“When Tyrese is aggressive and taking those shots early, it changes everything for us. That’s the version we need.”
On what made the difference in Game 4:
“We played harder, we played faster, and we played with more force. That’s the formula.”