The Indiana Pacers have the New York Knicks right where they want them.
Now comes a critical moment in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
The Pacers can kick the Knicks while they’re down and take a 2-0 series lead on the road. They could return to Indianapolis with a chance to sweep the series in front of a raucous crowd that will do everything it can to boost the Pacers and bother the Knicks.
Or the Pacers can fall short in Game 2 and allow the Knicks to even the series at 1-all. That would let New York catch its breath and regroup after an unbelievable Game 1, in which the Knicks squandered a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation.
Indiana can’t afford to do that. The time is now to seize control of the series.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton knows how high the stakes will be when the teams tip off at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
“That’s a hell of a win,” Haliburton said after Game 1. “But I really do think there’s a lot for us to improve on. I don’t know what the final rebound number was, I felt like they dominated us there. That’s an area where we want to be great. We weren’t good (in Game 1). But we just figured out a way to win. I’m so proud of this group.”
Haliburton is right about the Pacers’ rebounding.
Indiana will need to do a better job on the glass after getting outrebounded 46-39 on Wednesday night. The Knicks also finished with a 62-50 edge in points in the paint.
None of the Pacers’ starters finished with more than five rebounds. Meanwhile, the Knicks’ Josh Hart had 13 rebounds, Karl-Anthony Towns had 12, and Mikal Bridges finished with six.
You don’t have to be James Naismith to understand that more rebounds can lead to more scoring opportunities — and more high-percentage shots, in particular. New York showed how beneficial that advantage was as it built a 119-105 lead with 2:51 to go.
The Pacers needed to hit a barrage of difficult shots to erase the deficit. They did exactly that on Monday in front of a stunned Knicks crowd.
Aaron Nesmith hit four 3-pointers in the final 2:04 of regulation to give the Pacers a chance. If this were the old NBA Jam video game, his shoes would have caught on fire. It seemed like Nesmith could have drained shots from the 300 level if he wanted.
Then came the final shot of regulation. Haliburton drove toward the paint, crossed the free-throw line and looked like he would go for a game-tying layup.
Then, to almost everyone’s surprise, Haliburton reversed course and dribbled back toward the 3-point line. He let loose a shot at the buzzer that bounced high off the back rim and went straight up.
The ball stayed aloft for a moment, but it felt like 10 minutes.
Finally, the ball dropped straight through the net. Haliburton thought he had won the game, and he paid homage to Reggie Miller by flashing the choke sign to the crowd.
A video review showed that Haliburton’s toe was on the 3-point line, which meant his shot tied the score at 125-all and forced overtime instead of ending the game.
No matter.
The Pacers kept making buckets in overtime to secure the win. Instead of needing wild 3-pointers, Indiana edged ahead in the extra session thanks to a few driving layups by Haliburton and Nesmith, combined with a pair of late dunks by Obi Toppin.
Easy buckets — like the dunks Toppin provided — could offer a path for the Pacers to grab a 2-0 series lead on Friday night.
The pressure is on the Knicks right now. The Pacers would like to keep it that way.
