NEW YORK — What the Knicks did Thursday night, with their season on the line, their goals hanging on by a thread, is make you believe.
Force. Intention. Detail. The stuff that makes champions.
New York looked like a team that not only didn’t want its season to end in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, but could pull off the impossible, recover from a 3-1 series deficit and then go into finals and make something of it.
New York ripped Indiana’s spirit from the jump and eventually won by 17 to close the gap in the Eastern Conference finals to a 3-2 deficit. The Knicks sent a message to the Pacers: We’re not lying down.
Indiana should take that seriously.
“I’m just happy the way we responded, honestly,” Knicks star Jalen Brunson said. “We came out, had some energy in the way we played. I’m very proud of what we did. We just have to replicate it in the first quarter of next game and continue to build on that.”
New York took 15 more shots than the fast-paced Pacers. The Knicks won the rebounding battle. They had five fewer turnovers. Everything that usually culminates into a beatdown of this level, New York excelled at.
It was the stars, though, who set the tone. Brunson scored six straight points in the opening minutes en route to a 14-point first quarter (Brunson finished the game with 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting). The New York guard got inside. He was tough, crafty. He made jumpers. Brunson brought the party to the Pacers and forced their knees to buckle early. Karl-Anthony Towns then soon followed. The star big man scored 12 of his 24 points in the second quarter. Indiana had no answer for him. He scored inside at will. He didn’t need to make 3-pointers because it felt like every drive to the basket ended with a made shot and a free throw. The Knicks’ two stars set the table and ate all the food.
New York took 21 shots in the restricted area in the first half. Everything had a purpose and was done with intent.
“I came into the game just thinking about being ultra-aggressive, and if I get a chance to go down hill or impact the game, I wanted to do that,” Towns said. “Tonight was a great night for us executing or game plan defensively and it helped us get going offensively, too, with transition points.”
On the other end of the floor, the Knicks were equally as purposeful and forceful. That includes Brunson, who has been targeted nonstop in this series. As a collective, the Knicks’ rotations were sharp. Their showing on pick-and-rolls was aggressive. They guarded the ball. Mikal Bridges even picked up Tyrese Haliburton, who was held to eight points on seven shots, before he broke the half-court line sometimes.
OG Anunoby had three steals. Mitchell Robinson turned back into the “Blockness Monster,” recording two blocks and deterring the Pacers ballhandlers from getting to the rim. Landry Shamet came off the bench and, on one possession, single-handily demolished an Indiana offensive possession.
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This team, on this night, were connected, physical and focused.
“It started at the point of attack, with Mikal, just picking up and making things hard,” Knicks guard Miles McBride said. “Everybody talked and communicated a lot more. I just felt like we had an edge to us tonight.”
The Knicks pull off these types of performances here and there. It’s part of how they draw you back in just when you might think they’re done. This team has the potential to play this level of defense more than just every few games. This team has the players to be imposing. The issue, though, is they rarely put two of these performances together in a row.
That’s New York’s last magic trick, the final piece to the puzzle. In order to do what felt like the impossible two days ago and become the first Eastern Conference finals team in 44 years to come back from a 3-1 deficit, this has to be the norm for two more games. There’s no reason for it not to be. This is it. It’s win-or-go-home.
In grabbing the victory Thursday, the Knicks put all of the pressure back on Indiana. The Pacers are expected to close this series at home. If they don’t … a Game 7 inside Madison Square Garden? Against Brunson? With that crowd? My money is on the Knicks.
For the last 26 years, the world’s most famous arena has been hollow in June. Seats folded up. Empty. The only noise comes from the streets outside. That can change, finally, after all these years. The Knicks just have to do what they did in Game 5 again. And then again. It’s a tall task but that’s what separates good teams from championship teams, and New York doesn’t appear satisfied with just being good.
The Knicks won’t walk away on their own. We’ve learned that time and time again throughout these playoffs. The Pacers will have to be the first team to make them.
“We never give up,” Josh Hart said. “That’s the biggest thing. That’s just how we play. We know when we’re messing up and we’ll hold each other accountable. We pick it up when we need to.
“It’s the same situation, going into their place, which is a tough place to play. They have great fans, great energy. We have to be even better.”
(Photo of Jalen Brunson: Al Bello / Getty Images)
