3 Crucial keys to victor for the Indiana Pacers heading into Game 4 vs. Knicks
As they look to even the series, we look closer at three huge keys to victory for the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 against the New York Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers finally got a win against the New York Knicks in their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup in Game 3. Will Tyrese Haliburton and company even up the series in a critical Game 4 for the Pacers? We explore three crucial keys heading into the big game.
Key No. 1: Indiana Pacers must extinguish hot shooting by the Knicks
Despite a losing effort, the New York Knicks were on fire from behind the arc as they made over half of their attempts. Donte DiVincenzo went 7-11 from downtown as he turned Gainbridge Fieldhouse into "Donte's Inferno" with his red-hot shooting. The Knicks made 52 percent of their 3-point attempts, and if the Pacers had been able to stop just a few of those shots from falling, they probably would have won this game by a bigger margin.
Surprisingly, the Knicks accumulated more points from behind the arc (42) than they scored in the paint (40). The Knicks were able to score easily in the paint in Game 1 with 58 and 62 in Game 2. Give credit to Pacers big men Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam, Isaiah Jackson, and even Haliburton as all of them had at least one blocked shot in the game and defended well enough to get the win. Turner led the way with 3 blocks and made some key defensive stops down the stretch. Cutting off driving lines could become a viable strategy for Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle going forward as it should limit some of the Knicks' scoring.
The idea would be to force the Knicks to take shots deep into the shot clock while also limiting their fast break opportunities. If they can continue to stand strong inside the paint and if they can prevent Brunson from getting easy layups and floaters in the lane, the Pacers should be on their way to tying up the series.
The Knicks have shot 49 percent from deep for the series so it's very important that the Pacers keep the Knicks out of the painted area, try and eliminate costly turnovers, and don't commit foolish fouls unnecessary fouls because either one of those events could be the difference in the entire game.