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When the New York Knicks ousted the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, anything less than an NBA Finals appearance became unsatisfactory. None of that is said to diminish what the Indiana Pacers have accomplished over the last two years. They play with infectious energy and remarkable solidarity, typically level up in clutch time and finished only one game short of the Knickerbockers in the standings. Indy is a problem, plain and simple.
But when a team with multiple All-NBA selections vanquishes the reigning champions, it is supposed to maintain home-court advantage and figure out how to win the East. The likelihood of the Knicks fulfilling that objective took a massive hit on Tuesday night, following a 130-121 Game 4 loss versus the Pacers.
Tyrese Haliburton posted one of the greatest point-guard performances in playoffs history, recording 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting to go along with 15 assists, 12 rebounds and four steals. Among every player who stepped on the court in Game 4, the postseason dynamo was first in all four of those categories (tied Karl-Anthony Towns in rebounds). Pascal Siakam had a big night in his own right, scoring 30 points, and Bennedict Mathurin finally awakened with 20 points off the bench. New York's defensive woes returned at the worst time.
On paper, a conference finals exit could be seen as an acceptable outcome, especially since the franchise had not reached that stage since the turn of the century. The Knicks are squandering a major opportunity, however. Despite the Pacers' obvious prowess, team president Leon Rose made offseason moves specifically designed to catapult New York into title contention.
Committing 17 turnovers and allowing an opponent to shoot 51 percent from the field in a pivotal road contest indicates that the Knicks were not ready for the moment. Again, Indiana and head coach Rick Carlisle deserve credit for consistently stumping Tom Thibodeau and company, but the fans are understandably more focused on what their squad is doing wrong in the aftermath of this stinging defeat.
Knicks fans vent after tough Game 4 loss
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“Pacers own us sadly,” @FortnitePV2 remarked on X. “Real Knicks fans we been here before this was our biggest shot to go to the final dance it is over, no way we will get 3 wins in a row,” @jeckstar lamented. “Another year of disappointment,” @Isles4life36 griped. “Dont even bother showing up Thursday.”
Others took aim at the head coach for how he utilized his rotation. Josh Hart had a double-double in 36 minutes, but he also had a team-high five turnovers and was in foul trouble. The defensive-minded Delon Wright, who was a plus-11 on the floor, only payed nine minutes. Many fans are unloading on Thibodeau. Some are particularly blunt in their assessment of his performance.
“Fire Thibs. End of story,” @PeteForMVP said. “Thibs went right back to his old ways,” @AJ_Jacks3 commented. “Let our main guys get gassed and refused to mix in the bench guys who consistently competed defensively with Indiana. They earned minutes. Also this team with the {Jalen Brunson} + KAT pairing is never gonna work if Thibs refuses to stagger.”
Tom Thibodeau has helped the Knicks re-enter relevance, but his guys lacked discipline in a matchup that could define their season. If New York does not rattle off three straight wins, the organization will have to take stock of this operation. Though, since the season has not been lowered into the ground just yet, the players must get their minds right and come into Madison Square Garden with purpose and intensity.
Game 5 tips off on Thursday.
