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

[#1 pick]

if this knicks exit this series im exiting out of life

Chill my nikka, this is just a basketball game

 

[UpAndComing]

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.

Exhibit A

Porzingis when he is healthy. He's getting most of his points off of the pick and pop. To characterize the Celtics offense of just "Tatum and Brown trying to ISO bad defenders the entire game" is an extreme misnomer. "Celtics did not attack Brunson or KAT in the pick and pop at all". Well duh, like I mentioned, the bigs were playing terrible. I know most of the Knicks fans want to discount Porzingis being ill, but it's a big part of their offense. Porzingis and Horford not shooting well forced the Celtics to alter their playing style which was very inefficient

Stretch bigs are very vital to the Celtics offense. Their goal against the Knicks was to attack KAT, Brunson, and other bigs in space, and small guards in the post. This is why Luke Kornet of all people had a decent impact, it showed how terrible the other 2 Celtics bigs were playing

 

[str8up]

shyt had me walking around the house like ric flair last night

 

[SchoolboyC]

Celtics had him but never gave him minutes crowded roster they traded him in the Brogdon trade.

Goes to show you new team, system and environment can change a player.

He had chances in the rotation but the issue with Nesmith on the Celtics was he was a spaz, full of energy but the game hadn’t slowed down for him so he didn’t know how to channel it so he was wild as hell on the court

He needed to be in a situation where he could play through his mistakes and he was never gonna get that playing behind Brown & Tatum on a team trying to win now

It was a win-win move. Brogdon won 6MOY then flipped him for Jrue and won a title. Neither team should have regrets

 

[Lord Beasley]

You eat coats nikkas stayed up til midnight to see the Snicks lose, now you're miserable at work itchin to tell a nicca "SMD"

I KNOW ITS ONLY ONE GAME, BUT YOU KNICKAS

#SaluteTheFlagg

 

[MikelArteta]

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

Nesmith is shooting like 54 percent form three in the playoffs

Was also a 50/40/90 guy in the reg season

 

[Joe Sixpack]

You eat coats nikkas stayed up til midnight to see the Snicks lose, now you're miserable at work itchin to tell a nicca "SMD"

I KNOW ITS ONLY ONE GAME, BUT YOU KNICKAS

#SaluteTheFlagg

 

[tjwettem]

Pacers, as good as thibs is defensively I have more faith in Carlisle to make the right adjustments

Carlisle>Thibs

 

[Canada Goose]

You eat coats nikkas stayed up til midnight to see the Snicks lose, now you're miserable at work itchin to tell a nicca "SMD"

I KNOW ITS ONLY ONE GAME, BUT YOU KNICKAS

#SaluteTheFlagg

I'm a Knicks fan but "eat coats nikkas" and the whole first part of your post has me like

 

[Drake's Tan]

I hope people remember that we WON that "Reggie choke" series. That was '94

Either way people making too much about the similarities with last night and then (as being a good or bad omen). It's a brand new series with completely different teams and rosters. Only similarities are the logos on the jerseys.

I don't think the Knicks are done but game 2 is a must win.

 

[Torrential]

Why y’all ban @KnickstapeCity ? @hex

 

[Ducktales]

Knicks fans

 

[storyteller]

Exhibit A

Porzingis when he is healthy. He's getting most of his points off of the pick and pop. To characterize the Celtics offense of just "Tatum and Brown trying to ISO bad defenders the entire game" is an extreme misnomer. "Celtics did not attack Brunson or KAT in the pick and pop at all". Well duh, like I mentioned, the bigs were playing terrible. I know most of the Knicks fans want to discount Porzingis being ill, but it's a big part of their offense. Porzingis and Horford not shooting well forced the Celtics to alter their playing style which was very inefficient

Stretch bigs are very vital to the Celtics offense. Their goal against the Knicks was to attack KAT, Brunson, and other bigs in space, and small guards in the post. This is why Luke Kornet of all people had a decent impact, it showed how terrible the other 2 Celtics bigs were playing

The KP highlights aren't showing a switching scheme because the Knicks used drop coverage basically throughout the entire regular season. What you're showing is why the Knicks' drop scheme got exploited by bigs, not the switching scheme. The Knicks didn't use switching schemes until the Boston series. When they got torched in the regular season, they were using the same scheme that Indiana exploited last night.

That Luke Kornet mention doesn't fit either. According to basketball reference he didn't attempt take a single attempt from further than 10 feet out in eleven games of these playoffs. Luke was successful at the rim and in rim protection. His shotblocking was more important than anything he provided offensively.

 

[Morose Polymath]

The storylines for this series are wild.

The 2025 Most Overrated player just out-clutched the 2025 Most Clutch player on his home court.

 

[jdubnyce]

The storylines for this series are wild.

The 2025 Most Overrated player just out-clutched the 2025 Most Clutch player on his home court.

HHH prophesied