You'll Need a Pace(r) Maker For Two Harts This Time | Official Pacers (#4) vs. Knicks (#3) Eastern Conference Finals Thread

[No1]

Aaron Nesmith was 8/9 from 3 and had 30 pts

Bro that shyt was insane. If he misses just one of those in regulation the Knicks win.

 

[BK The Great]

Still mad

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Brunson does that shyt too. Make sure to add that thin haired nikka to the list.

Hailburton really is a heel

This shyt is crazy

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Bro that shyt was insane. If he misses just one of those in regulation the Knicks win.

 

[MarcP]

Aaron Nesmith was 8/9 from 3 and had 30 pts

That nikka might have goat level cardio. Chased Brunson all night and was still getting 3s off with plenty lift.

 

[Nero Christ]

Indy's passing is too good for the zone imo. They'd pick that apart. You need to switch or if you're gonna have players stay at home, they have to hedge at the level of the screen. KAT was in constant drop coverage and OG got caught in the same drop coverage. That's especially bad when you're protecting a big lead late.

The biggest benefit of letting Boston pick out mismatches was that they kept leaving OG and Bridges on lesser threats. That meant one of the two was always in position to be the weakside help, and they ate up the passing lanes. I was excited to see how that'd work against a pass-heavy offense like Indy but we never got the chance.

One disclaimer though: I'd have everyone going under or in drop coverage when TJ Mcconnell is on the rock. I'd rather let him take loosely contested pull-up jumpers than have him driving past players that went over screens.

I don't think drop coverage is necessary if Turner is the one in the middle of the floor with the ball...he shouldn't be able to blow by KAT. Drop coverage can be used against TJ and make him take slightly longer than ft range jumpers & trust the recovery & contest.

 

[Leasy]

On the real if I am the Knicks I am worried. They shot lights out from 3 and still managed to lose the game. Their defense was underwhelming. Pacers ability to spread that ball is almost Spurs like

 

[storyteller]

You're making my point though. Switching defenses are actually terrible for pick and pops. Celtics' gameplan to attack the Knicks switching was to attack KAT and Brunson (Because they are terrible help defenders) in pick and pop for a 3 pointer with Porzingis or Horford. Both of the Celtics' bigs were shooting terrible, it messed up the spacing, so the Knicks were able to make the Celtics shoot inside the arc. On top of that, because of the bad shooting, the Knicks were able to clog the paint

Can't do that with the Pacers because they attacked Brunson and KAT way more effectively than the Celtics did. The reason Nesmith got free with the Knicks fighting over screens is because Knicks were terrified of KAT or Brunson being abused in the pick and roll so they had to fight to go over screens

Nah, the Celtics did not attack Brunson and KAT in pick and pop at all. They tried to get Brunson/KAT into switches onto Tatum or Brown, not the bigs. Then they attacked KAT with face up offense or Brunson with post-ups from the bigger guys (which honestly failed more than it worked).

They did leave Horford sometimes, but for the most part, the goal was the stay at home on the shooters.

And nothing from last night means the switching approach would fail, because they didn't switch. The Pacers were more effective because Hali and Nesmith could step into uncontested or softly contested threes. The Celtics had to pull-up rather than step into the jumpers, and that's a function of the different defensive schemes.

Brunson (and OG for that matter) kept getting beat when they went under screens while KAT was in drop coverage. If they were going over, you wouldn't have Nesmith and Hali stepping into their jumpers so comfortably.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

That nikka might have goat level cardio. Chased Brunson all night and was still getting 3s off with plenty lift.

He never stops!

 

[storyteller]

I don't think drop coverage is necessary if Turner is the one in the middle of the floor with the ball...he shouldn't be able to blow by KAT. Drop coverage can be used against TJ and make him take slightly longer than ft range jumpers & trust the recovery & contest.

I completely agree. KAT shouldn't be afraid of Turner flying by him. The constant drop coverage drove me crazy. When they slipped back into drop coverage against Boston (game 5), they got blown out.

 

[MikelArteta]

Aaron Nesmith was 8/9 from 3 and had 30 pts

My son!

 

[Ohene]

Also lowkey….OG & Towns can go. If you can get Giannis for them, do it.

nah

 

[RubioTheCruel]

On the real if I am the Knicks I am worried. They shot lights out from 3 and still managed to lose the game. Their defense was underwhelming. Pacers ability to spread that ball is almost Spurs like

It was an awful loss to be sure, but you can't think Nesmith is gonna shoot 90% from three and score 30 points in a game again.

Hali also goes through these weird passive stretches offensively. Knicks need to come out Friday and really stomp them out, head to Indy 1-1 and try to get back HCA

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Thibs was even getting dudes rest during the game!!

Brunson goes out with his 5th foul then the Knicks go on a 14-0 run and these nikkas STILL LAWST

 

[storyteller]

Bro that shyt was insane. If he misses just one of those in regulation the Knicks win.

That's not to mention how they missed 12 free throws...2 in the last 14 seconds.

For as frustrating a loss as it is. It took a lot of missed free throws and an incredibly lucky bounce at the buzzer to get to OT, and then I think the missed goaltending call changed the whole trajectory of the OT. That goaltend led to a transition three aka the first basket Indiana made in overtime. So that's a 5-point swing, where the Knicks should have been up by 6 but instead only led by 1.