2025 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: #3 New York Knicks vs #4 Indiana Pacers (IND leads 1-0)

[Jadoogar]

I think the Pacers are the better team but Knicks feel like the team of destiny.
Either way, should be really fun

[Nuntius]

nesmith on KAT lol, Nembhard on Brunson, this series is going to be a lot of fun

Why is Nesmith on KAT, funny? Your own podcast guys are saying that the best way to defend KAT is with a wing. A lot of you have said it yourselves when you said that guarding KAT with a big isn't going to work (and I agree that it won't work).

As for Nembhard on Brunson, Brunson getting his is part of the plan. If we manage to bait Brunson into a primarily scoring role then that works in our favour. The less involved New York's 3-point shooters are, the better it is for us.

We can win games when the opposing team's star goes for 40+. In fact, we do tend to win most of those games. I'd much rather see Brunson with 40+, KAT with 30+ and everyone else in the single digits than see Brunson with 30 and every other Knick starter (plus McBride) with 15+.

Nesmith on KAT means Haliburton is on Mikal, and we will bring Hart out to set screens for Jalen, so that Turner has to come out higher to defend them.

Alright. And we will stay home on shooters and leave with the result of that PnR.

Also, if you want to put your best rebounder on KAT and risk him getting in foul trouble, Nesmith is your most foul prone player as it is.

Meh. If KAT wants to go to the post against Nesmith, have at it. That would be another action that wouldn't normally generate enough 3s.

Putting a wing on KAT works when you don't have any other holes in your perimeter defense, you have Haliburton though, and while I know you're a believer in stocks, I'm just a believer in checking what other players have done when actually defended by him. His primary matchups were Gary Trent who averaged 19ppg against you, and Max Strus, who pulled down almost 3 offensive rebounds per game.

Did Haliburton get crucial defensive stops when we needed him to do it? Yes, he did. That's what I mostly care about, to be honest.

So, if you want to put him on Mikal, I'd be happy with that, he's going from a series where he was defended by White, Brown, Holiday and Tatum to Haliburton? When the Celtics and Pistons did it, the primary defender on Jalen was Ausar Thompson or White, do you think Nembhard is a comparable defender to those guys?

Speaking of stats, Nembhard and Haliburton, take a look at the defensive dashboard for the Pacers these playoffs -> https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-overall?PlayerPosition=&TeamID=1610612754

Our entire starting lineup is forcing opponents to shoot below their percentages on the shots they take when our players defend them. -4.9 Diff for Nembard, -4.6 for Hali, -4.2 for Turner, -2.5 for Siakam and -0.8 for Nesmith.

That's not bad, is it?

We have dealt with this kind of defense, against better defensive teams.

Sure, I'm not trying to claim that we're some amazing defensive team. But, given our offense, we don't need to be amazing. We just need to be capable and to use our defense in a way that play into our offensive advantages which we absolutely do with our pressing.

[Nuntius]

me and you are not on the court man,

I know. This whole "us", "you" is just a manner of speaking.

I will say it, I think the Pacers stink

That's alright. You're entitled to your opinion. You'll be proven wrong soon

I meant as in you or me under or overestimating will make no difference, we aren't on the court lol

Our individual opinions aren't going to affect what's happening on the court, I agree.

But thousands of fans posting the same stuff over and over on social media can definitely add fuel to the fire, don't you think? Same goes for pundits. At the end of the day, players are still human.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Why is Nesmith on KAT, funny? Your own podcast guys are saying that the best way to defend KAT is with a wing. A lot of you have said it yourselves when you said that guarding KAT with a big isn't going to work (and I agree that it won't work).

As for Nembhard on Brunson, Brunson getting his is part of the plan. If we manage to bait Brunson into a primarily scoring role then that works in our favour. The less involved New York's 3-point shooters are, the better it is for us.

We can win games when the opposing team's star goes for 40+. In fact, we do tend to win most of those games. I'd much rather see Brunson with 40+, KAT with 30+ and everyone else in the single digits than see Brunson with 30 and every other Knick starter (plus McBride) with 15+.

Nesmith on KAT means Haliburton is on Mikal, and we will bring Hart out to set screens for Jalen, so that Turner has to come out higher to defend them.

Alright. And we will stay home on shooters and leave with the result of that PnR.

Also, if you want to put your best rebounder on KAT and risk him getting in foul trouble, Nesmith is your most foul prone player as it is.

Meh. If KAT wants to go to the post against Nesmith, have at it. That would be another action that wouldn't normally generate enough 3s.

Putting a wing on KAT works when you don't have any other holes in your perimeter defense, you have Haliburton though, and while I know you're a believer in stocks, I'm just a believer in checking what other players have done when actually defended by him. His primary matchups were Gary Trent who averaged 19ppg against you, and Max Strus, who pulled down almost 3 offensive rebounds per game.

Did Haliburton get crucial defensive stops when we needed him to do it? Yes, he did. That's what I mostly care about, to be honest.

So, if you want to put him on Mikal, I'd be happy with that, he's going from a series where he was defended by White, Brown, Holiday and Tatum to Haliburton? When the Celtics and Pistons did it, the primary defender on Jalen was Ausar Thompson or White, do you think Nembhard is a comparable defender to those guys?

Speaking of stats, Nembhard and Haliburton, take a look at the defensive dashboard for the Pacers these playoffs -> https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-overall?PlayerPosition=&TeamID=1610612754

Our entire starting lineup is forcing opponents to shoot below their percentages on the shots they take when our players defend them. -4.9 Diff for Nembard, -4.6 for Hali, -4.2 for Turner, -2.5 for Siakam and -0.8 for Nesmith.

That's not bad, is it?

We have dealt with this kind of defense, against better defensive teams.

Sure, I'm not trying to claim that we're some amazing defensive team. But, given our offense, we don't need to be amazing. We just need to be capable and to use our defense in a way that play into our offensive advantages which we absolutely do with our pressing.

We don't run a lot of PnR, nor do we get a lot of threes off KAT post ups, we're a sledgehammer team and our offense is a lot more crude than you're thinking. I'm getting the feeling you haven't watched a lot of our games, because that's just not how we operate


You generally hide Haliburton on the worst offensive player, which is why you put him on Hart, the problem with that the last 2 seasons is that Hart hammers you on the glass because Haliburton cannot stop him, he also has been scoring on drives this season, in the 3 games against you Hart averaged 22ppg. There is nowhere to really hide him against our starting 5, that is why I take your defensive stats with a grain of salt, some of these numbers are coming against teams that have started AJ Green, Kevin Porter, Max Strus and Ty Jerome starting, places to hide Haliburton. You put him on Mikal, and I think Mikal scores efficiently, you put him on Hart and Hart terrorizes you on the boards.


You're looking at how we played against the Celtics and Pistons and trying to draw comparisons, when both of them have players you can look at and say they're elite defenders. The Pacer fans on here keep talking about from Jan to now as the time period to look at when judging your defense, well the Pistons were 5th in DRTG and the Celtics were 3rd. I think we're going to score against you, at a more efficient rate than we have in the previous rounds because your best player is a big target. The Bucks with all their issues had a 111 ORTG against you, we held the Celtics to a 111.9 ORT, our paths to this point were not the same, we had a much more difficult draw.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Why do you hate the Knicks Arks?

Sean Marks destroyed our Team

Time to root for Winner, Nets suck which is a tough pill 2 swallow

Knicks are gonna be really good 4 another 5,6 Years, I'm sick of being depressed

Good Luck loose change

Let me give you my perspective

Brentford FC (west London ) fans waited 74 years to comeback to Premier League , generations passed away waiting ,but they stood with their Club , it was the best sight I ever saw old 85-90 year old man crying from happiness in 2021 , because the last time they saw their team playing in PL was in 1945 when they were 10 years old boys

Now in the same city they had 8 (eight) teams who won trophies every year , Arsenals ,Chelsea , Crystal Palace Fulham , Tottenham , WHU and many more in higher divisions than Brentford over the decades and decades

Yet they stood behind their team in rain for 75 years

Now Knicks is the old /new toy in town and how do you imagine ? Just switch ? ,go to the Garden , eat couple of hotdogs wash this with cheap beer and start celebrating ( if they win ) their own championship as my own ???

No thx , I rather watch Nets even if they suck even if they’ll never win

Now I can root for other teams did for Dallas , did for Denver now for Indiana , I’m happy when they win but I’ll never claim their trophy as my own , they won , I’m just for a ride with them , but It’s THEIRs to enjoy brag celebrate and cherish

So saying this Pacers in 5 , let’s GO

Wait a second. Are you English, Arky? How come you're rooting for Brentford?

No I’m not , but I like their underdog story , I saw their game when they advanced to premier league, and it’s the most amazing post game I ever saw in any sport , it’s just makes you feel attached to their fans , team , head coach

So since 2021 I watch their games and root for them so they not gonna get relegated again , this club and their fans doesn’t deserve another relegation in the near future

So in a way yes I can say I’m a Brentford fan

[ArksNetsSince99]

While many here are peddling in speculation, I peddle in facts.

Fact: Benedict Mathurin sounds like the name of a guy who died in 1862. Did he die of pertussis or maybe in the Civil War? He was not notable enough to say.

I peddle in facts too

27 hours left until this series starts

No matter the outcome CapnO and likely CGF will stay here until this series is over no matter who wins or loses

All other Knicks trolls will be gone forever as soon as Indiana takes the series lead or even game lead

[cgf]

Good Luck loose change

Let me give you my perspective

Brentford FC (west London ) fans waited 74 years to comeback to Premier League , generations passed away waiting ,but they stood with their Club , it was the best sight I ever saw old 85-90 year old man crying from happiness in 2021 , because the last time they saw their team playing in PL was in 1945 when they were 10 years old boys

Now in the same city they had 8 (eight) teams who won trophies every year , Arsenals ,Chelsea , Crystal Palace Fulham , Tottenham , WHU and many more in higher divisions than Brentford over the decades and decades

Yet they stood behind their team in rain for 75 years

Now Knicks is the old /new toy in town and how do you imagine ? Just switch ? ,go to the Garden , eat couple of hotdogs wash this with cheap beer and start celebrating ( if they win ) their own championship as my own ???

No thx , I rather watch Nets even if they suck even if they’ll never win

Now I can root for other teams did for Dallas , did for Denver now for Indiana , I’m happy when they win but I’ll never claim their trophy as my own , they won , I’m just for a ride with them , but It’s THEIRs to enjoy brag celebrate and cherish

So saying this Pacers in 5 , let’s GO

Wait a second. Are you English, Arky? How come you're rooting for Brentford?

No I’m not , but I like their underdog story , I saw their game when they advanced to premier league, and it’s the most amazing post game I ever saw in any sport , it’s just makes you feel attached to their fans , team , head coach

So since 2021 I watch their games and root for them so they not gonna get relegated again , this club and their fans doesn’t deserve another relegation in the near future

So in a way yes I can say I’m a Brentford fan

You should see what happened when 1.FCU got promoted.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

;t=36s

[boomershadow]

I've seen people debating online who each Pacer should guard, and i really think it starts out fairly straightforward to begin with.

Turner on Kat. Siakam on OG. Nesmith on Hart. Haliburton on Bridges. Nembhard on Brunson.

[cgf]

I've seen people debating online who each Pacer should guard, and i really think it starts out fairly straightforward to begin with.

Turner on Kat. Siakam on OG. Nesmith on Hart. Haliburton on Bridges. Nembhard on Brunson.

That is how you've guarded us previously...but that's also why Karl has been able to go off on you the way he has, so I suspect Carlisle will adjust the matchups, sooner or later.

[Nuntius]

We don't run a lot of PnR, nor do we get a lot of threes off KAT post ups, we're a sledgehammer team and our offense is a lot more crude than you're thinking. I'm getting the feeling you haven't watched a lot of our games, because that's just not how we operate

I only spoke about the PnR because you brought up Hart screening for Brunson

I've watched you some but definitely not enough to claim any kind of expertise. I only caught parts of the Detroit and Boston series'.

You generally hide Haliburton on the worst offensive player, which is why you put him on Hart, the problem with that the last 2 seasons is that Hart hammers you on the glass because Haliburton cannot stop him, he also has been scoring on drives this season, in the 3 games against you Hart averaged 22ppg. There is nowhere to really hide him against our starting 5, that is why I take your defensive stats with a grain of salt, some of these numbers are coming against teams that have started AJ Green, Kevin Porter, Max Strus and Ty Jerome starting, places to hide Haliburton. You put him on Mikal, and I think Mikal scores efficiently, you put him on Hart and Hart terrorizes you on the boards.

The reason why teams hide their offensive engines defensively is because they want them to conserve energy for the offensive side of the ball. If Hart is going to attack the boards every possession and force Haliburtont to expend a ton of energy boxing him out then it might be better for us to put Hali on Bridges and Myles on Hart, especially if Brunson is dominating possessions and Bridges doesn't see the ball every time down the court.

You're looking at how we played against the Celtics and Pistons and trying to draw comparisons, when both of them have players you can look at and say they're elite defenders.

I feel that this is a bit of a projection here. To me, at least, it looks like you're the ones looking at how we played against the Celtics and trying to draw a comparison between how you defended them and how you will defend us.

The Pacer fans on here keep talking about from Jan to now as the time period to look at when judging your defense, well the Pistons were 5th in DRTG and the Celtics were 3rd. I think we're going to score against you, at a more efficient rate than we have in the previous rounds because your best player is a big target. The Bucks with all their issues had a 111 ORTG against you, we held the Celtics to a 111.9 ORT, our paths to this point were not the same, we had a much more difficult draw.

Sure, you'll be able to score against us. No argument here. We'll make it tough by pressuring you and trying to speed you up but you will still score. The question is will you be able to keep up with our pace and stop our offense?

As for Hali being a big target, meh. Hali is no Tyler Herro. Milwaukee and Cleveland both tried to single him out and attack him and they failed miserably. If your plan is to just attack Hali then it won't work great for you. Just like attacking Brunson didn't work for the Celtics.

Neither Hali nor Brunson are sieves.

[Nuntius]

Good Luck loose change

Let me give you my perspective

Brentford FC (west London ) fans waited 74 years to comeback to Premier League , generations passed away waiting ,but they stood with their Club , it was the best sight I ever saw old 85-90 year old man crying from happiness in 2021 , because the last time they saw their team playing in PL was in 1945 when they were 10 years old boys

Now in the same city they had 8 (eight) teams who won trophies every year , Arsenals ,Chelsea , Crystal Palace Fulham , Tottenham , WHU and many more in higher divisions than Brentford over the decades and decades

Yet they stood behind their team in rain for 75 years

Now Knicks is the old /new toy in town and how do you imagine ? Just switch ? ,go to the Garden , eat couple of hotdogs wash this with cheap beer and start celebrating ( if they win ) their own championship as my own ???

No thx , I rather watch Nets even if they suck even if they’ll never win

Now I can root for other teams did for Dallas , did for Denver now for Indiana , I’m happy when they win but I’ll never claim their trophy as my own , they won , I’m just for a ride with them , but It’s THEIRs to enjoy brag celebrate and cherish

So saying this Pacers in 5 , let’s GO

Wait a second. Are you English, Arky? How come you're rooting for Brentford?

No I’m not , but I like their underdog story , I saw their game when they advanced to premier league, and it’s the most amazing post game I ever saw in any sport , it’s just makes you feel attached to their fans , team , head coach

So since 2021 I watch their games and root for them so they not gonna get relegated again , this club and their fans doesn’t deserve another relegation in the near future

So in a way yes I can say I’m a Brentford fan

That's cool. I relate with underdog stories as well (hence being a Pacers fan) and I can definitely appreciate someone who took the time to learn and follow a sport that they weren't brought up with.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

We don't run a lot of PnR, nor do we get a lot of threes off KAT post ups, we're a sledgehammer team and our offense is a lot more crude than you're thinking. I'm getting the feeling you haven't watched a lot of our games, because that's just not how we operate

I only spoke about he PnR because you brought up Hart screening for Brunson

I've watched you some but definitely not enough to claim any kind of expertise. I only caught parts of the Detroit and Boston series'.

You generally hide Haliburton on the worst offensive player, which is why you put him on Hart, the problem with that the last 2 seasons is that Hart hammers you on the glass because Haliburton cannot stop him, he also has been scoring on drives this season, in the 3 games against you Hart averaged 22ppg. There is nowhere to really hide him against our starting 5, that is why I take your defensive stats with a grain of salt, some of these numbers are coming against teams that have started AJ Green, Kevin Porter, Max Strus and Ty Jerome starting, places to hide Haliburton. You put him on Mikal, and I think Mikal scores efficiently, you put him on Hart and Hart terrorizes you on the boards.

The reason why teams hide their offensive engines defensively is because they want them to conserve energy for the offensive side of the ball. If Hart is going to attack the boards every possession and force Haliburtont to expend a ton of energy boxing him out then it might be better for us to put Hali on Bridges and Myles on Hart, especially if Brunson is dominating possessions and Bridges doesn't see the ball every time down the court.

You're looking at how we played against the Celtics and Pistons and trying to draw comparisons, when both of them have players you can look at and say they're elite defenders.

I feel that this is a bit of a projection here. To me, at least, it looks like you're the ones looking at how we played against the Celtics and trying to draw a comparison between how you defended them and how you will defend us.

The Pacer fans on here keep talking about from Jan to now as the time period to look at when judging your defense, well the Pistons were 5th in DRTG and the Celtics were 3rd. I think we're going to score against you, at a more efficient rate than we have in the previous rounds because your best player is a big target. The Bucks with all their issues had a 111 ORTG against you, we held the Celtics to a 111.9 ORT, our paths to this point were not the same, we had a much more difficult draw.

Sure, you'll be able to score against us. No argument here. We'll make it tough by pressuring you and trying to speed you up but you will still score. The question is will you be able to keep up with our pace and stop our offense?

As for Hali being a big target, meh. Hali is no Tyler Herro. Milwaukee and Cleveland both tried to single him out and attack him and they failed miserably. If your plan is to just attack Hali then it won't work great for you. Just like attacking Brunson didn't work for the Celtics.

Neither Hali nor Brunson are sieves.

We're not the Bucks or Cavs, if we're going at Hali it's not going to be through mismatch hunting or isolation (Brunson being the exception), it'll be him chasing Mikal around off screens, Mikal leaking out in transition, quick post ups off duck ins, DHOs and if he's on Hart he has to worry about getting back in transition and most importantly stopping Hart from putting pressure on the boards.


Whether they're sieves or not isn't really the point, we have more ways to hide Brunson than you do with Haliburton. Also, we did play a series last year, and despite the injuries we controlled the pace. This year you'll have to contend with this on the glass as well -



This is not Jarrett "Lights too bright" Allen or Mobley

[ArksNetsSince99]

Wait a second. Are you English, Arky? How come you're rooting for Brentford?

No I’m not , but I like their underdog story , I saw their game when they advanced to premier league, and it’s the most amazing post game I ever saw in any sport , it’s just makes you feel attached to their fans , team , head coach

So since 2021 I watch their games and root for them so they not gonna get relegated again , this club and their fans doesn’t deserve another relegation in the near future

So in a way yes I can say I’m a Brentford fan

You should see what happened when 1.FCU got promoted.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

;t=36s

Nice , Close to Brentford but kind of different vibe , here is hools mostly , Brentford was more nostalgic, whole families and lots of older fans , lots of tears

[Nuntius]

We're not the Bucks or Cavs, if we're going at Hali it's not going to be through mismatch hunting or isolation (Brunson being the exception), it'll be him chasing Mikal around off screens, Mikal leaking out in transition, quick post ups off duck ins, DHOs and if he's on Hart he has to worry about getting back in transition and most importantly stopping Hart from putting pressure on the boards.

So, you'll make him work. You should indeed do that. We'll do the same to Brunson while also employing our full-court press.

Whether they're sieves or not isn't really the point, we have more ways to hide Brunson than you do with Haliburton.

Alright then. Talk to me about the ways you'll hide Brunson and I'll tell you how we can attack him in these circumstances.

Also, we did play a series last year, and despite the injuries we controlled the pace. This year you'll have to contend with this on the glass as well -



This is not Jarrett "Lights too bright" Allen or Mobley

Mitchell can definitely impact the boards a ton, no argument here. But the double big lineup could also struggle to defend our speed and end up being played off the court. We'll see how it goes.

I will say this: If the Knicks approach this series with the mindset that we are the same team we were last year then it won't bode well for them. We are a much, much better team than we were last year. Much more experienced too. I'll say it again, the series we played against the Nova Knicks last year was huge for us. The toughness of that team rubbed off on us and we became a better team due to that.

For what is worth, I do trust Thibs and this Knicks squad to be ready for us and not fall for the trap that some of your fans are falling for.

[bronxknicksfan1]

I've seen people debating online who each Pacer should guard, and i really think it starts out fairly straightforward to begin with.

Turner on Kat. Siakam on OG. Nesmith on Hart. Haliburton on Bridges. Nembhard on Brunson.

More likely to be Nesmith on Brunson, Nembhard on Bridges and Haliburton on Hart.

Read on Twitter

Leave Nembhard on Brunson and it’s going to be a short series for the Pacers.

[bronxknicksfan1]

This might be the KAT series.

His career against Myles Turner: 28.9 PPG and 11.8 RPG on 65.8 TS in 11 games.

His last seasons against the Pacers: 32.8 PPG and 12 RPG on 70.1 TS in 4 games.

[WargamesX]

This might be the KAT series.

His career against Myles Turner: 28.9 PPG and 11.8 RPG on 65.8 TS in 11 games.

His last seasons against the Pacers: 32.8 PPG and 12 RPG on 70.1 TS in 4 games.

And when he sits down Mitch comes in who is also a starting quality center for the minutes he plays.

[LFGK]

While many here are peddling in speculation, I peddle in facts.

Fact: Benedict Mathurin sounds like the name of a guy who died in 1862. Did he die of pertussis or maybe in the Civil War? He was not notable enough to say.

I peddle in facts too

27 hours left until this series starts

No matter the outcome CapnO and likely CGF will stay here until this series is over no matter who wins or loses

All other Knicks trolls will be gone forever as soon as Indiana takes the series lead or even game lead

Big dawg u know I will be louder then any fan in here u gonna be gone after game 4 lol

[The KnicksFix]

The arrogance of the Knicks fanbase is astounding.

We just smoked the defending champs where NO ONE picked us to win. TF we supposed to be other than confident ?

Confident and arrogant are two different things.

Pacer fans are confident as well but you don't see any of us claiming that we'd beat you in 4/5. I understand that there were some Celtic fans who were obnoxious and disparaging towards the Knicks but that doesn't give you the right to do the same to others

I’m responding to people saying the pacers are going to win in 6. My prediction is Knicks in 5. We need to be confident going into the matchup. That’s how we got here. We aren’t afraid to fail because we are prepared. It’s not being cocky nor arrogant if we know we can beat you in 5 when you played us with a lesser team last year and we took the pacers 7.

How tf does that make us arrogant?

[The KnicksFix]

We're not the Bucks or Cavs, if we're going at Hali it's not going to be through mismatch hunting or isolation (Brunson being the exception), it'll be him chasing Mikal around off screens, Mikal leaking out in transition, quick post ups off duck ins, DHOs and if he's on Hart he has to worry about getting back in transition and most importantly stopping Hart from putting pressure on the boards.

So, you'll make him work. You should indeed do that. We'll do the same to Brunson while also employing our full-court press.

Whether they're sieves or not isn't really the point, we have more ways to hide Brunson than you do with Haliburton.

Alright then. Talk to me about the ways you'll hide Brunson and I'll tell you how we can attack him in these circumstances.

Also, we did play a series last year, and despite the injuries we controlled the pace. This year you'll have to contend with this on the glass as well -



This is not Jarrett "Lights too bright" Allen or Mobley

Mitchell can definitely impact the boards a ton, no argument here. But the double big lineup could also struggle to defend our speed and end up being played off the court. We'll see how it goes.

I will say this: If the Knicks approach this series with the mindset that we are the same team we were last year then it won't bode well for them. We are a much, much better team than we were last year. Much more experienced too. I'll say it again, the series we played against the Nova Knicks last year was huge for us. The toughness of that team rubbed off on us and we became a better team due to that.

For what is worth, I do trust Thibs and this Knicks squad to be ready for us and not fall for the trap that some of your fans are falling for.

Celtics thought they could switch and attack Brunson in the last series, we allowed him to guard straight up, and guess what? He held his own.

Meanwhile no one on the pacers can guard Brunson on the other end.