Round 3: New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers

[GermanFan120]

Agent double 0 had a great game and he was the major difference tonight besides Hali's triple double.

[Wizop]

Siakam had 30. Very quietly.

[Grang33r]

Siakam had 30. Very quietly.

i didnt even realize he had 30 until i saw it on tnt after the game.

Haliburton unreal game.

Mathurin came up huge, he was aggressive and fearless. Loved seeing it and we needed it.

Former Knick Obi with a CLUTCH knock out 3 at the end.... beautiful basketball movement to get him that open look.

[jowglenn]

Good job Mathurin - he hadn’t done much all playoffs and finally put together a huge game. 20 points in only 12 minutes!!!

Haliburton with arguably his career best game -32/15/12/4 with 0 turnovers???? Crazy stuff

[Grang33r]

Knicks won the rebounds by 11. Crazy

[Grang33r]

Indiana's ability to bounce back from losses is impressive. Havent lost back to back games since March 10th, thats 34 games ago.

3-0 in the playoffs following a loss.

[granger05]

Mathurin kind of reminds me of Lance in these playoffs. It seems like he's just always trying to get under guys' skin. He had a great game last night, but I worry that he's going to get shipped out this offseason. I don't think Carlisle trusts him, and he's getting to the point where extension decisions have to be made. I really like Mathurin's game and I think he can be a good long term piece if he can just get himself a little more directed out there.

Even last night, I felt like he was overly aggressive even when it was working out for him. He's young, but sometimes I feel like it's difficult for a tiger to change his stripes. The Pacers did well making moves for Toppin and Nesmith when they weren't fitting other team's plan. I worry that we're going to be on the losing end of that with Benn soon.

[nrbq]

Ive been hard on Mathurin but he was great. 12 min=20 points.

[boomershadow]

Mathurin kind of reminds me of Lance in these playoffs. It seems like he's just always trying to get under guys' skin. He had a great game last night, but I worry that he's going to get shipped out this offseason. I don't think Carlisle trusts him, and he's getting to the point where extension decisions have to be made. I really like Mathurin's game and I think he can be a good long term piece if he can just get himself a little more directed out there.

Even last night, I felt like he was overly aggressive even when it was working out for him. He's young, but sometimes I feel like it's difficult for a tiger to change his stripes. The Pacers did well making moves for Toppin and Nesmith when they weren't fitting other team's plan. I worry that we're going to be on the losing end of that with Benn soon.

Might be the best for both parties. It is time for Walker to be the backup 3.

[Scoot McGroot]

I tell you, he had a great overall impact last night, but that 3rd quarter had a run where he had me severely worried. He played wild, got bailed out on a couple foul calls, and even almost got himself a tech when he was lining up to shoot free throws where he tried to throw his arms up into Brunson as if he was avoiding contact during a dead ball, but he clearly initiated it.

If he can just clear up some of those “heat check” or “keeping it real” type moments, he’ll take off. But, I get that’s tough, as it’s his competitive nature that drives him to draw tough fouls, and that also drives him to make some stupid efforts that can backfire.

So, I think the Lance comparison is apt

[Grang33r]

Just got back home. Incredible weekend in Indianapolis,
Go Pacers!

consider posting reviews on Google Maps and Yelp.

good call, i will.

[Grang33r]

I tell you, he had a great overall impact last night, but that 3rd quarter had a run where he had me severely worried. He played wild, got bailed out on a couple foul calls, and even almost got himself a tech when he was lining up to shoot free throws where he tried to throw his arms up into Brunson as if he was avoiding contact during a dead ball, but he clearly initiated it.

If he can just clear up some of those “heat check” or “keeping it real” type moments, he’ll take off. But, I get that’s tough, as it’s his competitive nature that drives him to draw tough fouls, and that also drives him to make some stupid efforts that can backfire.

So, I think the Lance comparison is apt

I read that Cameron Payne said something and Benn started to troll him about the number of teams hes been on and Brunson told Mathurin "just play ball, Benn" lol.

[Grang33r]

Just got back home. Incredible weekend in Indianapolis, i had a blast despite the wrong result.

Always interesting to see someone who lives in New York rooting for the Pacers.

I grew up in Poland and began to like the Pacers because of Reggie Miller in early 90s before i could even say where Indiana is on a map. After we moved to US when i was 11 (in 1995) , i continued to support them after finding out more where and how far Indianapolis is. And i live in Buffalo NY, far from NYC. About an hour from Toronto.

[granger05]

So, I think the Lance comparison is apt

I loved Lance partly because that roster was very deliberate and could get bogged down on offense. They needed an injection of chaos sometimes. That doesn't fit as well on this roster. I think Benn will be a better player than Lance ever was, but I do wish he had a dial the coaches could adjust.

[basketballwacko2]

So, I think the Lance comparison is apt

I loved Lance partly because that roster was very deliberate and could get bogged down on offense. They needed an injection of chaos sometimes. That doesn't fit as well on this roster. I think Benn will be a better player than Lance ever was, but I do wish he had a dial the coaches could adjust.

I loved Lance too, mostly because of the way he just loved to play, I'd like 15 guys that love to play as much as Lance. That said he was a knucklehead! But he was our Knuckleheadl

[basketballwacko2]

Just got back home. Incredible weekend in Indianapolis, i had a blast despite the wrong result.

Always interesting to see someone who lives in New York rooting for the Pacers.

I grew up in Poland and began to like the Pacers because of Reggie Miller in early 90s before i could even say where Indiana is on a map. After we moved to US when i was 11 (in 1995) , i continued to support them after finding out more where and how far Indianapolis is. And i live in Buffalo NY, far from NYC. About an hour from Toronto.

Was this your first time in Indianapolis?

[Grang33r]

Always interesting to see someone who lives in New York rooting for the Pacers.

I grew up in Poland and began to like the Pacers because of Reggie Miller in early 90s before i could even say where Indiana is on a map. After we moved to US when i was 11 (in 1995) , i continued to support them after finding out more where and how far Indianapolis is. And i live in Buffalo NY, far from NYC. About an hour from Toronto.

Was this your first time in Indianapolis?

No, it was my third time. But last time was like 10 years ago when PG and Lance were on the team.

[Pacers Forever]

My two favorite Pacer nuckleheads were Lance and Ron Artest. I admired them more for their basketball abilities even though they could be loose cannons. I think Benn has a lot of potential to be a scorer. There’s just that snarky mentality that he has that he wants to be the best, not back down, and a confidence or arrogance that causes him problems on the court.

The Pacers have worked extensively with him to become a more complete or versatile player. They’re trying to get him to play team ball in their system and it has caused him to develop slower than what he’s thought it would. He’s even said that he was used to being the star in college and prior to the Pacers and he was trying to adapt to become a team player.

I really like him, agreed with the FO making him our draft choice, and think he could be a 25 point or more scorer every night. I just think it’s going to be in another team’s system because he’s not built to be a great team player like Nesmith, Turner, Obi, TJ, and Siakam who sacrifice for the team betterment. Maybe someday he gets it but I think it’ll be too late to remain here.

I hope Benn blows up and starts balling out of this world in the games left this season and drives his value through the roof. I then vote to move him and maximize returns for him and keep Obi. Even if he helps lead us to the championship I still can’t see retaining him unless ownership decides to pay the tax to keep him and Obi.

[AussiePacer]

Amazing run. Been enjoying it but not posting.

On Benn specifically, he’s the type of player you NEED in a playoff situation. It doesn’t work every night (or even most nights) but over a 4-7 game series he’s going to have moments where he can get a bucket or get to the line when no one else can. He needs to keep himself in check from time to time but playing on the edge is also his greatest strength.

Also…. This team is just such a joy to watch. It’s pure basketball, it’s an even squad that executes plans and roles better than most. Our tempo is ferocious and we’re really changing the way the game is played.

I hope we continue on. It feels like we’ve got a belief and togetherness we didn’t quite have last year. I’m optimistic. Let’s f@@@@@ go!

[Pacers Forever]

Didn’t get the same whistle as the Knicks this half.
Knicks aggressively outplayed us this half.
Pacers defense not good.
Knicks defense was very good.
Nesmith’s shot is off possibly due to his ankle.
Haliburton not good first half.

Good to finally see Walker
Only down by 11 points as it should’ve been more.

Hopefully coaching gets a game plan for the second half to get us back into the game.