The New York Knicks, despite being picked by experts, sportsbooks, and former players to beat the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, find themselves down 3-1 in the series.
They will play Indiana at Madison Square Garden on Thursday with the hopes of keeping their season alive, but even the most devoted Knicks fans sound defeated.
Stephen A. Smith has been reluctant to both praise the Pacers and count out the Knicks, but even he couldn't help from issuing a definitive statement.
Dec 30, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; against the Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle talks with guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; against the Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle talks with guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
"They're a better team from top to bottom," Smith said. "They are a better team than the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks have a starting five that can compete against them, but they don't have their depth, they don't have their youth."
In any given game during the series, the Pacers have enjoyed solid bench gams from TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin, and Bennedict Mathurin, although Smith listed another factor that gives the Pacers an advantage.
"They don't have their coaching," he admitted. "That's right. I'm going to say it. Tom Thibodeau is a hell of a coach. But Rick Carlisle is a Hall of Fame-caliber coach. He's a champion. He knows what it takes."
Carlisle won a title while coaching the Dallas Mavericks. He has been here before, and Tom Thibodeau has not. Carlisle is defined by his flexibility and willingness to feed the hot hand, even if it comes at the cost of benching a star, and Thibodeau, simply, is not.
The Knicks will look to stay alive against the Pacers, although it looks like Indiana will meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.
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