Jalen Brunson suffered foot discomfort and OG Anunoby retired with a hamstring injury, but The New York Knicks rebelled against adversity and sealed an epic 130-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers this Wednesday to go 2-0 in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.
Brunson, the big star of these ‘playoffs’ (with permission from Anthony Edwards) and the new idol of the Big Apple, had four games in a row with more than 40 points and tonight he went to the locker room in the first quarter. He did not play the second, returned at halftime as a hero amid shouts of “MVP” from Madison Square Garden and closed his memorable evening with 29 points and 5 assists.
In a twist of fate, today marked 54 years since on May 8, 1970, Willis Reed, who was injured, surprised everyone in New York playing the seventh game of the Finals and the Knicks ended up winning the ring.
For its part, Anunoby was having a great game (28 points) when he left due to injury in the third quarter. However, these Knicks, who have made rage and suffering their DNA, are experts in Numantine resistance, as they have experienced an ordeal of injuries this season.
In these playoffs they cannot count on fundamental names from their rotation such as Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson. But Tom Thibodeau’s extreme and usually very small rotation (Josh Hart played his second game in a row without resting for a single second) once again showed its face. Donte DiVincenzo added 28 points and 6 rebounds and Hart (19 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists) and Isaiah Hartenstein (14 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists) reached the triple-double for the Knicks who were superior in rebounding (44-34) .
After the New Yorkers won the first duel on Monday with 43 points from Brunson and several controversial plays in the outcome, the Pacers missed another opportunity to snatch home-court advantage. Tyrese Haliburton reacted to his weak first game and dazzled with 34 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Obi Toppin joined him with 20 points. The series now travels to Indianapolis, where game three will be played on Friday.
The Knicks can do everything
The Knicks entered the court the only way they know how: biting and giving their lives in every play. Anunoby, fundamental in the local defense, emerged on offense with 12 points in that first quarter in which the New York team won by 11. However, the appearance of double digits was a breath of fresh air for the Pacers. Toppin shone with 10 points and accompanied a now aggressive Haliburton with 13 points (in the entire first game he only added 6). This give and take, with a high rhythm that benefited the Pacers, ended in a draw: 36-36.
With the melancholy of not seeing Brunson neither on the court nor on the bench, the Knicks lost ground against a Haliburton who took command. With 9 points and 3 assists from the point guard in that period, Indiana added gasoline to the fire of its always choral offense and faced the break with an interesting advantage (63-73) and the ‘tempo’ of the match clearly on his side.
But Brunson’s unexpected return was a boost in morale for these Knicks who are guided more by heart than by logic. A fabulous 21-6 run in just over five minutes, with 10 points from an omnipresent DiVincenzo, returned command to the Knicks amid the euphoria of their fans (84-79 with 6.41 on the clock). The Pacers seemed moribund and Anunoby’s injury did not stop the New Yorkers, who with 10 points from the ‘resurrected’ Brunson closed a masterful third quarter (36-18 for 99-91 total).
TJ McConnell, Indiana’s official agitator, got to work and a 3-10 run left Rick Carlisle’s team just a stone’s throw away (102-101 with 8.02 ahead). But Indiana once again floundered on defense and defensive rebounding, allowing Brunson and DiVincenzo to cap off another night of fireworks in New York.
2024-05-09 05:22:28
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