The Eastern Conference finals continue with the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers on the verge of clinching an NBA Finals berth after beating the No. 3 seed New York Knicks in Game 4 to take a 3-1 edge in the series.
The Knicks are still aiming to reach the Finals for the first time since 1999. This postseason, New York eliminated the No. 6 seed Detroit Pistons and then handled the No. 2 Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are trying to get back into the Finals since their last appearance in 2000. Indiana knocked off the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks before upsetting the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here's what has stood out from the Knicks' crucial Game 3 win and what's in store for Game 4.
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What stood out for the Pacers: The story of the playoffs is Tyrese Haliburton. Not just the Eastern Conference Finals. The playoffs. Haliburton, the most "overrated" player in the league, had yet another spectacular performance in Game 4, finishing with 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds — and zero turnovers. He’s the first player in NBA history to finish with that stat line. Haliburton was aggressive from the get-go, finishing just two rebounds shy of a triple-double at halftime with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. When Haliburton plays with that kind of intensity, good things typically happen for the Pacers, as they did in Game 4, when they took a commanding 3-1 series lead. The 6-foot-5 Haliburton had more than twice as many rebounds as any of his teammates. But he did have a lot of help on the offensive end, with Pascal Siakam (30 points) and Bennedict Mathurin (20 points) making big contributions.
What stood out for the Knicks: Their Achilles heel was turnovers. They fumbled the ball 17 times, which led to 20 points for the Pacers. There were 13 lead changes and 10 ties in this game and the Knicks cut their once 15-point deficit to as few as six points in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t complete the comeback. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 12 rebounds and OG Anunoby added 22 points, but they were ultimately overpowered by the Pacers’ relentless defense and balanced offensive effort.
What’s in store for Game 5: For the Pacers, this is going to be their toughest game this season. Trying to win an elimination game in Madison Square Garden isn’t going to be an easy task, especially against a team that has had three 20-point comebacks this season. If the Knicks can stare down 20-point deficits without flinching, you have to think they believe they can become one of the few teams in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 series deficit. As for the Knicks, this is do or die. They need to take control from the beginning, take better care of the ball and focus on preventing the Pacers from going on runs to end quarters, as they did multiple times in Game 4. The Pacers are now one win away from the Finals and aiming to win their first championship as an NBA franchise.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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