First Thoughts: New York 90, Indiana 80
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers lost an ugly 90-80 game to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Playing a team without any healthy big men, the Pacers looked clueless and flat throughout the day and fell behind by 20 points for a fifth straight game. They have lost four of those, with the only win coming against last-place Cleveland. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points before sitting out much of the fourth quarter with a contused left shoulder. The only good news for the Pacers was that Jeff Pendergraph finally played rotation minutes — Ian Mahinmi did not play due to a coach’s decision — and scored 10 points. Still, the Pacers should be embarrassed by the way they have played since a four-game road trip that ended on April 1. New York clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Because of a loss by Brooklyn, Indiana is locked in as the No. 3 seed.
WHAT WE LEARNED: The Pacers were absolutely awful in this one and deserved an even worse outcome than the scoreboard showed. They didn’t show any sort of focus. There didn’t seem to be a plan or purpose on offense. Fans have to be extremely worried that this bunch can’t develop the type of rhythm they need before the playoffs begin. New York played without Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace. The Knicks went with cold body Solomon Jones at center. And the Pacers incredibly could not dominate the interior. Roy Hibbert had four points, George Hill six and Paul George nine. In a potential second-round preview, after a rough home loss, the Pacers committed a season-high 26 turnovers. There’s no excuse.
KEY NUMBER: The smaller Knicks nearly matched the Pacers in points in the paint, 30-26.
TURNING POINT: Opening tip. The Pacers were not prepared to play. That’s on the coaching staff.
NEXT: The Pacers visit Boston on Tuesday night in their next-to-last game of the regular season. The Celtics are 2-0 against Indiana and will be the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
