Knicks Pushed to the Edge

Thibodeau had six months to experiment and tinker with different lineups, but didn't... Now he is desperately trying to figure things out on the fly in the middle of the ECF.

Final Score: Knicks 121 - Pacers 130
Series: 3-1

In what was yet another "biggest game of the season," the Knicks came up small Tuesday night.

Right from the opening tip, it didn't appear as though New York was locked in, especially on the defensive end. Four minutes into the first quarter, Tyrese Haliburton drained a step-back three-pointer to give the Pacers a 16-9 lead, forcing Tom Thibodeau to call a timeout.

After Indiana went up by double-digits early in the second quarter, the Knicks made a run, spearheaded by KAT and their reserves. However, the Knicks got sloppy late in the first half and allowed Indiana to enter halftime with a five-point advantage.

Opening and closing quarters have been a disaster for New York throughout this entire series, and crushed them in Game 4.

New York actually led by one point with less than 90 seconds remaining before the break, and they had the ball. Brunson spotted Mikal Bridges leaking out and him in the paint. Yet, instead of attacking the rim, Bridges settled for a weak 1-on-4 fadeaway.

The Pacers grabbed the rebound, and Aaron Nesmith made a pair of free throws on the other end. After Indy got another stop, Nesmith drained a floater off an assist from Haliburton. Jalen Brunson missed a three-pointer on NY's final attempt of the half. Haliburton fed Tony Bradley for a layup to put the home team up five.

With their season potentially hanging in the balance, the Knicks would come out of halftime chomping at the bit and send a message, right?

Well, the message they sent was that they were a team unprepared to play serious basketball.