Nineteen thousand, 300 thirty-three ft.
That’s how far Mikal Bridges ran within the Knicks’ time beyond regulation loss to the Indiana Pacers in Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention Finals. Practically 4 miles of exhausting cuts, closeouts, sprints in transition — and nonetheless, it wasn’t sufficient.
As a result of that is who the Pacers are. And it’s why the Knicks, a crew that leans closely on its starters, now face one among their best postseason challenges but.
Indiana doesn’t simply play quick. They weaponize tempo. They fly after makes, misses, turnovers, and every thing in between. They put on groups down not simply with pace, however with stamina — always biking in recent legs whereas the opposition gasps for air.
In Sport 1, 5 Pacers reserves logged over 2,000 ft of court docket protection. The Knicks had simply three: Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and Cameron Payne. Bridges led all gamers in distance traveled.
“Like you said, it’s always something you watch on film,” Bridges mentioned after Thursday’s movie session. “And it’s different until it’s live.”
The reside model hit quick.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby every logged greater than 15,000 ft of whole distance in Sport 1. Josh Hart cleared 17,000. For comparability, no participant in Sport 1 of the Western Convention Finals — between the Timberwolves and Thunder — ran greater than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 14,200 ft.
And whereas the Knicks did accumulate some further mileage with a five-minute time beyond regulation interval, the broader level is difficult to disregard: the workload hole is actual.
Minnesota had eight gamers log no less than 20 minutes. Oklahoma Metropolis gave seven gamers 19.8 minutes or extra, and three others logged no less than 9.6. Indiana, in the meantime, performed 9 gamers no less than 13 minutes and bought seven strong minutes from second-year guard Ben Sheppard.
And as has turn into customary, the Knicks have been on tempo to play all 5 starters 40-plus minutes — if not for foul bother that sidelined Karl-Anthony Cities and Jalen Brunson.
Which supplies Indiana a bonus. The Pacers aren’t simply enjoying quick — they’re rotating deep. They’re operating recent legs at drained stars.
“It’s hard for me to discredit and say the wear-down effect wasn’t there,” mentioned Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. “That’s part of our identity: How can we wear on teams for 48 minutes? Picking up full court, our offensive pressure, getting downhill, moving, playing fast. I thought we did a good job playing our style.”
Indiana, true to its title, performed with tempo — seventh-fastest within the NBA throughout the common season — in opposition to a Knicks crew that ranked twenty sixth in possessions per recreation. Type conflict? Sure. However Indiana is dragging this sequence into the quick lane, and Sport 1 proved simply how exhausting that may be.
The Knicks don’t deny it. However in addition they don’t imagine scoring is their concern — not after they dropped 135 in Sport 1 and nonetheless misplaced.
“When you look at our fast break points on the season and the playoffs, I think people overlook that,” mentioned head coach Tom Thibodeau. “We scored 135 points. That should be more than enough. So we’ve got to lock into what we do better defensively.”
Offense isn’t the issue. The Knicks had 5 video games of 140 or extra throughout the common season — together with 143 apiece in opposition to Memphis and Sacramento, two of the league’s fastest-paced groups. They will rating in bunches. However this problem is completely different.
The Pacers don’t cease. The video games come quick. The possessions even quicker. And when the Knicks a lot as blink, the floodgates open.
“I think in the beginning, throughout, [their pace] got on us, but towards the end we started to figure it out, building that lead in the fourth and everything,” mentioned Bridges. “You’ve just got to maintain it. That’s the biggest thing — you’ve got to maintain the communication and help each other. You can’t relax with them, and I think that’s what happened in the last five minutes. We got the lead and we were doing well, and once you relax that little bit, they take full advantage.”
“They’re not going to stop. Especially when they’re down. They’ll probably play even faster. So we’ve got to stay locked in the whole game.”
There’s no magic answer. Tom Thibodeau might not prolong the rotation past his trusted eight-man lineup. What the crew can do is soak up the tempo, reply with poise, and win the sport throughout the recreation — by surviving the tempo and executing within the half court docket.
“This is the challenge they present,” mentioned crew captain Jalen Brunson. “We’re gonna have to deal with it regardless. It’s what they do. You’ve got to be ready for it. It’s all about game-planning and being ready to execute.”
