The New York Knicks will come up short of winning an NBA title this year. On Saturday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they fell short of forcing a Game 7 and were defeated by the Indiana Pacers 125-108, officially being eliminated by them in six games.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns did not provide enough for the Knicks
For the Knicks to avoid elimination, they needed big performances once again from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns like they did in Game 5. Unfortunately, neither of them could get going offensively, which hurt their chances of securing a win.
Brunson scored 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting from the floor and 2-for-7 from three. He also committed five turnovers on a night where ball control continued to be a problem for New York, as the team had 17 turnovers in Game 6.
NBA: Playoffs-New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Towns scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, but it sure did not feel that way based on how he was getting his points. He shot just 8-for-19 from the field and 0-for-4 from three, and was just 6-for-10 from the free throw line.
Defensive struggles from Towns also hurt New York. Many times, the big man was lost on defense and couldn’t get back with the Pacers’ high-flying offense, which led to easy buckets for Indiana. New York did not carry a lead in the second half.
The Pacers got whatever they wanted offensively
After holding the Pacers to just 90 points in Game 5, the Knicks didn’t bring the same defensive intensity in Game 6. Indiana started the game slowly, but they began to click offensively in the second half and pull away from New York.
The Pacers outscored the Knicks 67-54 in the second half after entering halftime with a four-point lead. Overall on the night, Indiana made 17 three-pointers and shot over 50% from both the floor and from three.
NBA: Playoffs-New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
They once again had no answer for Pascal Siakam, who was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP after the game. He scored 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 from three with three blocked shots in Game 6.
If New York had brought the same pressure they had in Game 5, they would have had a stronger chance at winning. However, they couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities and committed costly turnovers against a Pacers team that loves to score in transition. Indiana had 34 points off turnovers compared to New York’s 13 in Game 6, which was arguably the biggest difference maker.
Overview
The Knicks will have a very big offseason ahead of them. Changes could be forthcoming, but what those changes will be remains to be seen.
Still, this defeat doesn’t take away from the fact that this was the most successful Knicks season in over two decades. The Knicks can build off of this, but it will take an offseason of the right moves for that to happen.