20 Second Timeout

New York Versus Indiana Preview

Eastern Conference Second Round

#2 New York (50-32) vs. #6 Indiana (47-35)

Season series: Indiana, 2-1

Indiana can win if…their fastbreak attack overwhelms New York's methodical, physical playing style. The Pacers led the NBA in regular season scoring (123.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (.507), and they scored at least 120 points in each of their wins while defeating the injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 in the first round.

Midseason acquisition Pascal Siakam led the Pacers in scoring (22.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg) in the first round while also averaging 4.2 apg. The versatile Siakam does everything well except for three point shooting. All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (16.0 ppg, 9.3 apg in the first round) orchestrates the offense and keeps everyone involved, but he has proven that he is willing and able to make game-winning shots. Center Myles Turner had an excellent series (19.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) versus Milwaukee.

The Pacers often play as if the only thing that they know about defense is that it surrounds "de-yard," but their fast pace of play and efficient offense put a lot of pressure on opposing teams to keep up.

New York will win because…Jalen Brunson will be the best player in the series. Brunson is reaching postseason heights no Knick has attained since Bernard King was in his prime in the mid-1980s. Brunson played at an elite level as his Knicks dispatched the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 in the first round. He leads the playoffs in scoring (35.5 ppg) while ranking fourth in assists (9.0 apg), and he became the seventh player in NBA playoff history to post at least three straight 40-plus point games, joining Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bernard King, Michael Jordan (three times), Allen Iverson, and Jamal Murray. Brunson, Jordan (twice), and LeBron James are the only players in NBA playoff history to have at least 35 points and at least five assists in three straight games in the same postseason.  

Josh Hart is a 6-4 swingman with an incredible nose for the ball: he averaged a team-high 12.3 rpg versus the 76ers after averaging 8.3 rpg during the regular season. Hart led the Knicks with 46.3 mpg versus the 76ers, and he ranked second with 16.8 ppg.

OG Anunoby scores (15.0 ppg versus the 76ers), rebounds (6.8 rpg) and defends (1.3 bpg). The Knicks acquired him along with Precious Achiuwa in a midseason deal that sent R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors.

Other things to consider: The Knicks were a mismanaged franchise for the better part of two decades--including seven straight losing seasons from 2014-2020--but since Leon Rose took over as team president in 2020 the Knicks have made the playoffs three out of the past four years while winning a playoff series in back to back seasons for the first time since 2000. The Knicks achieved this success while rejecting perhaps the two most popular team-building models: tanking and trying to create a "super team." Under Rose's watch, the team has had a win now mentality while also making crafty moves with an eye on the future, and Rose shrewdly avoided assembling an imbalanced roster with two or three (alleged) superstars surrounded by role players on short term low paying contracts. Rose's Knicks rely heavily on three players who won championships at Villanova--Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte Divencenzo--and thus proved they know how to be part of a winning program.

It is instructive to contrast how the Knicks built their roster with how the 76ers attempted--and failed--to "tank to the top." Under Sam Hinkie, the 76ers employed the infamous "Process," losing on purpose for four straight seasons in order to acquire and hoard top draft picks. Those 76ers were an unwatchable mess for their fans and a shameful eyesore for the entire league, and those years cemented a loser's mentality that the franchise has yet to overcome.

The crown jewel prize for all of that intentional losing was Joel Embiid, the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Injuries caused Embiid to miss every game in his first two NBA seasons. He has never played more than 68 games in an NBA regular season, and he has never led the 76ers past the second round of the playoffs. Embiid's career playoff series record is 5-7, and he shot .470 or worse from the field in nine of those 12 series. 

Losing on purpose is ethically wrong because it rips off the fans who pay for tickets and for TV/streaming subscriptions with the expectation of seeing the best possible product, and because it attempts to "game" a system designed to help less fortunate teams (not teams that lose by purposely mismanaging their assets). Tanking also does not work. The 76ers are in perpetual "wait for next year" excuse mode because from the top down the franchise has veered away from building a championship mentality and championship habits.

In contrast, the Knicks play as ferociously as a pack of fierce pit bulls who tenaciously value every possession; they are a joy to watch for any old school basketball fan. The Pacers also avoided flawed franchise building models, but they are not as gritty or defensive-minded as the Knicks. This series will be fun to watch because of the contrasting styles.

New York will defeat Indiana in six games.

Labels: Indiana Pacers, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, New York Knicks, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton

posted by David Friedman @ 10:43 AM

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