A night at the Garden (Patreon)

By: Samson Folk I @samfolkk

A reminder: Caitlin’s deep dive comes later. This is just supposed to hold you over. 

There’s nothing quite like a superstar bending a game to their will. Jalen Brunson held the first half of game 5 and moved it around in his hand like puddy. Maybe the Knicks aren’t at their best when they’re so hyper-reliant on Brunson’s shotmaking, but they’re at the very least very good when they lean on it, and it’s as good as it can be in spurts. Reliant on the shotmaking yes, but still a team. A team that fights brutally hard in the margins to give Brunson’s shotmaking a pedestal to work from. A team that gets extra chances on the glass. A team that wins loose balls. A team that survives on the open triples afforded to them, as well. 

These Knicks, man. Gumption, and heaps of it in the first half. The Pacers, for their part, didn’t bring half of what the Knicks did early. A lack of urgency on the glass, going after loose balls, and maybe most importantly: thoughtless forays into the paint. 8-18 at the rim and 3-8 in the short mid-range in the first half. The runouts kept them within shouting distance, but they were getting dismantled in the halfcourt. Hell, even the dependable and dominant super-subs (TJ & Obi) got trampled in their early minutes. 

Game 5’s have huge predictive implications for series winners (obviously, duh) and the Pacers didn’t step into the Garden with nearly enough intention or discipline. They’re a team that scores well enough that they can take some of Brunson’s best punches as a scorer, and take them in stride. They can’t afford to allow the shotmaking, the loose balls, the extra rebounds, or the carelessness with the ball on the other end. You lose the turnover battle, the rebounding battle, you shoot a worse percentage? You’re probably going to lose the game. 

Games sit on a knife's edge. Wobbling one way, then another. A personal 9-0 run from Myles Turner means something in a lot of games. A triple, then a triple, then another. Yelling and screaming accompanying it. By his lonesome, he had brought the Pacers back within 7.

Then, some minutes later, he was yelling and screaming along with Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo had just soared in from the weak side for a putback slam to put the Knicks up 22. A tidal wave of a run preceded it, and a dust up with Turner would come after. The type of dramatics that existed in the background of a game the Knicks dominated. 

The Pacers went scoreless for 6 minutes. They got a heroic turn from (erm) Turner, and it was squandered expeditiously. 

Little mistakes littered this game. Little mistakes that a person couldn't even be upset with. Toppin contains Brunson on the perimeter and has to pass out to Burks with Haliburton closing out - and doing an alright job of it. Behind him though, Ben Sheppard had tripped, and this put him directly in the path of Burks’ drive and sent him to the line. Big mistakes happened, too. The Pacers blitz Brunson high, lose the 4 on 3 handily, and allow a wide open Burks triple. Shortly after that, Hart crashed from the 3-point line for an unimpeded ORB and a layup. 

You have to win the game somewhere. The Pacers weren't convincing in any part of it.

All the while, Brunson shredded those who stood in front of him. 

Will's being bent, superstars etc. etc. - a story the Knicks have been able to thoroughly enjoy many times these playoffs. Another 40+ point performance.

For the Pacers – who do things in a bit more egalitarian way – there were no David's to meet the Knicks’ Goliath. No Goliath to meet their David's. 

We go again on Friday. 

Have a blessed day.