Knicks-Pacers: 5 snack bar as Pascal Siakam Powers Indiana on 2-0 series Lead

New York – The normal games are as important as the crazy ones, and sometimes you have to win with a minimal drama.

No comeback from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter or of nine in the last minute. Not a ridiculous hot strip from Aaron Nesmith. Not a miraculous summer building from Tyresian Haliburton.

The Indiana Pacers performed the New York Knicks in the second game of the Eastern Conference final, a 114-109 victory on Friday.

Pascal Siakam led six Pacers with 39 points in the 15-against-23 shooting in double characters, and the Knicks simply couldn't stop what the best offense left in the post-season. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points and 11 templates, but, like in game 1, missed a long 3 pointer that would have bound the game in the last seconds.

Indiana has won six streets in this playoffs in a row, while the Knicks are now 3-5 in Madison Square Garden.

Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and film, while the series goes to Indiana on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, TNT) for game 3 …

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1. The offensive of Pacers moves again and again

The Knicks had a higher rank in the regular season and have two elite talents at this end of the floor. But the offensive of the Pacers has reached a new level in the playoffs and has proven to be more difficult.

Tyresian Haliburton is the general floor, but the offensive of the Pacers is more about pace, ball movement and player movement than every person. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Indiana took the post -season in both passes and miles per 24 minutes.

The kinks just couldn't keep up. In two games, the Pacers achieved 126.6 points per 100 possessions, which would be the second best brand for each team in the conference final or in the 29 years for which we have play-by-play data.

Indiana's crime was best when his best was needed. When the Pacers came back in game 1 of 17 points, they scored an incredible 31 points for their last 13 regulatory owners. And with game 2 they scored 27 (1.56 per) 42 in their final.

Some of it was great to make a game formation. And part of it was only several actions and the ball in motion until the Knicks lost someone …

The Pacers are relentless.

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2. Pacers dominate the transition game

Your tireless action begins in the transition.

Both teams have efficiently scored a goal in their half place, so that transitional options are not as critical as in these playoffs in other series.

But in two games that were decided by a total of eight points, the Pacers had a great advantage in the transition. According to Synergy Tracking, the transition points in the two games are 51-26 in favor of Indiana.

And the difference is less in relation to the number of transitional possessions that every team had and more about how efficient they achieved in the transition …

Transitional offense, finale of the Eastern Conference

Via synergy tracking

These 42 points on the last 27 owners of the Pacers started with three direct transition layups. And two of them -an Obi -Toppin Layup and a TJ McConnell drive -came after the buckets at the other end of the floor. Then McConnell grabbed a Mikal Bridges Miss, got his team moving and found a subsequent Siakam for a dark.

The Knicks had transition problems that were given through the permission of layups, like a man under the basket to protect someone else (who does not have the ball) on the perimeter …

When you come back in this series, the Knicks obviously have to defend better. And that starts in the transition.

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3. Siakam has a special game

There are only two rotary players left in the playoffs who previously played an important role on a title: Alex Caruso (2020 Lakers) and Siakam (2019 Raptors).

On Friday, Siakam (10) had almost as many transition points as the Knicks (11). But he also caused a lot of damage in half a place … and against several kinks.

OG Anunoby is a long defender, but he was 14 to 18 feet for Siakam, who scored 2 from 14 to 18 feet from 14 to 18 feet …

“Special game,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle about Siakam's performance. “It is difficult to achieve this number of points in a game like this in which you always have a physical matchup.”

In game 1 it was Nesmith who combined his career with 30 points. Siakams 39 in game 2 were his most in 148 games with the Pacers and his playoff career -High (82 games). Game 3 could be someone else.

“What makes us something special as a team is that we only have different weapons,” he said. “We are not consumed with who will do what. However, the game presents itself, so we accept it. It doesn't matter who scores.”

In these playoffs there are 40 players with at least 100 field goal attempts. Three of the four top fours in an effective field target percentage are Pacers: Nesmith (69.3%), Andrew Nembhard (62.2%) and Siakam (60.1%).

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4. Pacers get big buckets by attacking Brunson

The Knicks let Mitchell Robinson most of the fourth quarter on the

In the two games, the Pacers (who were otherwise ridiculously efficient) only have 0.80 points per chance when Robinson defended a ball screen.

It was not surprising that Indiana was more successful on Friday when Robinson held away from the ball and carried out actions in Brunson. And some of these actions led to some good looks from beyond the arch.

Three with less than five minutes ahead of them they received Brunson on Haliburton. He attacked, pulled help from Robinson and found Myles gymnast for a wide open 3 from the left corner …

The next time it was possessed, Haliburton got another Brunson switch and left a pull-up 3 over him.

Another ball screen that aimed at Brunson produced another trip for Haliburton and opened 3 for gymnasts, which was just more than a minute in front of the brand. But it was a good process (much better than Robinson) and a good shot.

In this series, Brunson was the defender of Screener for 46 Ball screens, which is only the third behind the two starting centers. And we can expect a lot more of it in the future.

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5. Pacers shuffle rotation if the bank continues to fight

The Pacers play their reserves more than the kinks, but that doesn't mean that their bank is better. New York had the higher bank in the regular season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

And both games were tight, although the Knicks starting was exceeded by 29 points in the 43 minutes. (It is now a minus-50 in 308 playoff minutes.) The Pacers made up well at the beginning of all four halves, but when reserves came on the floor, the kinks were able to catch up.

Bennedict Mathurin and Thomas Bryant, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, both quickly expanded from the rotation into game 2, are two Indiana reserves that could not have a positive influence.

Mathurin was replaced by Ben Sheppard at the beginning of the second quarter and did not see the ground again. He scored 38 points in the Pacers victory of the regular season against New York, but they were 39 years old in his 43 minutes in his 43 minutes in the last three games.

Bryant also sat throughout the second half, and Carlisle used Tony Bradley (who had played less than 16 playoff minutes before Friday) as a backup center.

And in the second half, the bench minutes were much better, with Indiana achieving a diamond-changed 20: 8 run in the third and fourth quarter.

Regardless of whether the bank is good or bad, the Pacers still need contributions from more than five boys.

“We are a team that everyone needs,” said Carlisle. “That's how we have to play.”

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John Schuhmann is a high -ranking statistical analyst at NBA.com. You can send him an email Herefind His archive here And Follow him on X.

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