The New York Knicks found themselves with their backs against the wall heading into Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, down 3-1 to the Indiana Pacers in their Eastern Conference Finals series.
The Knicks have struggled throughout the postseason with slow starts, even going down 20 points in their sole victory in the series entering Game 5 before pulling off a comeback.
However, the Knicks and point guard Jalen Brunson, who hit six of his first seven shot attempts, both got off to strong starts. The Knicks were also dominant from the jump on the defensive end.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who had a 35-point, 15-assist, and 10-rebound triple-double in Game 4, was held to eight points, six assists, and two rebounds in Game 5, which the Knicks won 111-94.
A lot of the Knicks’ success on the defensive end came from Brunson committing to that side of the ball, which his teammate Josh Hart acknowledged after the game.
“We don’t need him to be a lockdown defender or anything like that,” Hart said, according to ESPN. “We just need him to go out there and play physical, with intensity, and not foul. It’s really just a competitive thing, an ego thing of like, ‘OK, I’m going to guard my yard.’
“It’s having pride. I think he did that [tonight]. And we need him to do it in Indiana.”
The Knicks aren’t out of the woods yet. They’ll have to win in a hostile environment in Game 6 if they want to keep their season alive and force a Game 7.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.