Pacers on way to Finals?

There’s a reason why they’re called the Indiana Pacers. Coach Rick Carlisle is using pace to dictate how his team plays the game and with a deep rotation, he’s able to deploy fresh legs in wearing out the opposition. It’s a perfect formula to diffuse the firepower of any team that relies on a compact nucleus and the reason why Indiana is on the verge of eliminating the New York Knicks for a ticket to the NBA Finals.

The Indiana-New York series for the Eastern Conference championship is one for the books. The Pacers lead the series, 2-1, and every game has been won on the road. Indiana trimmed the Knicks, 138-135 in OT, in Game One and 114-109 in Game Two, both at Madison Square Garden. New York rebounded from a 20-point deficit in the second quarter and stunned the Pacers, 106-100, in Game Three at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. If the Pacers break the trend and win in Game Four at home this morning (Manila time), they’ll go back to the Garden for the chance to end it on the road.

But don’t count out the Knicks. New York coach Tom Thibodeau tweaked his starting lineup in Game Three, lining up seven-footers Karl Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson for the first time in the playoffs to raise the Knicks’ level of physicality. Towns went berserk in Game Three, erupting for 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Myles Turner couldn’t hold him down and New York avoided going down, 0-3, with the next game at the Fieldhouse.

In the series, four Knicks are averaging in twin digit points – Jalen Brunson (34), Towns (26.3), Mikal Bridges (17) and OG Anunoby (16). In contrast, six Pacers are norming in double figure points – Pascal Siakam (24.3), Tyrese Haliburton (21.7), Aaron Nesmith (16.7), Turner (16.3), Andrew Nembhard (12) and TJ McConnell (10.7). To show the sub patterns, 10 Pacers are logging at least 10 minutes a game with no one doing 40 or more while eight Knicks are clocking at least 10 minutes with Bridges at 42.7.

Indiana likes to full-court press from start to finish and Carlisle has the greyhounds to keep it going. How to stymie the Pacers’ pace is Thibs’ challenge. Clearly, playing physical can help particularly off the boards. Indiana runs at every turn and the team that controls the rebounds gains the opportunity to impose tempo. Brunson, Towns, Bridges, Robinson, Anunoby and Josh Hart thrive in a rugged, mano-a-mano dogfight. Twice, the Knicks recovered from 20-point deficits to win down-to-the-wire battles in the Boston series. The Celtics play similar to the Pacers’ swashbuckling style and when Jayson Tatum went down in Game Four, the Knicks pounced on the shortened rotation to dethrone Boston in six. Now, the shoe’s on the other foot as New York could be on the brink of goodbye.

Indiana’s first and only Finals appearance came in 2000 when the Pacers lost to the LA Lakers in six. New York’s last Finals outing was in 1999 with the Knicks bowing to San Antonio in five. They’re both hungry to reach the Last Dance. The Pacers are hungrier because they’ve never won a championship while the Knicks are shooting for their third after 1970 and 1973.