(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Indiana Pacers
Series opens Sunday in New York.
Season series: Tied 2-2
Knicks starters: Carmelo Anthony PF (28.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.6 apg); Iman Shumpert SF (6.8 ppg, 3 rpg); Tyson Chandler C (10.4 ppg, 10.7 rpg); Pablo Prigioni SG (3.5 ppg, 3 apg); Raymond Felton PG (13.9 ppg, 5.5 apg).
Pacers starters: Paul George SF (17.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, 7.6 rpg); David West PF (17.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg); Roy Hibbert C (11.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg); George Hill PG (14.2 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.7 rpg); Lance Stephenson SG (8.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
Historical note: The Last time these two teams met in a playoff game was during the tail end of the Patrick Ewing era in the NBA Conference finals in 2000. Led by Reggie Miller, the Pacers knocked off the Knicks in six games before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the title series.
For Knicks to win: The boys from New York got cocky against the Boston Celtics in Round 1 and almost paid the price for it. If they make the same mistake against Indiana, their season will end.
The Knicks will live and die from beyond the three-point line as they have all season. Star forward Carmelo Anthony went into a 20-attempt drought against the Celtics and the Knicks almost slid from what should have been a four-game series into a six-game series. He has been battling a shoulder injury which can not have helped his touch.
Anthony’s defence will be tested against a Pacers team which features two capable inside threats in David West and Roy Hibbert. West’s presence will not allow him to take plays off defensively which could tire him out.
Late-season signee Kenyon Martin provided much more help than expected as he proved to be a capable defender who helped Tyson Chandler with rim protection, something the Knicks had sorely been lacking.
Anthony will need an assist on the outside from shooting guard J.R. Smith who was inconsistent against the Celtics. He can shoot a team in or out of the game all by his lonesome.
For Pacers to win: The Pacers best player all season long was Paul George but in the deciding game against the Atlanta Hawks, he disappeared. The all-star forward only managed four points on 2-10 shooting from the field.
Obviously that needs to change against the Knicks. It will be curious to see if they take a page from the Hawks defensive playbook and shift Anthony back to small forward as he might present more issues for George on both ends of the floor than Iman Shumpert will.
The Pacers will need to push the tempo against the grey-haired Knicks as much as possible who would prefer to play a half-tempo style of game although Indiana has been known to grind as well.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel would prefer to allow the opposition to take long mid-range jumpers which will be interesting for a Knicks team that loves to fire away from downtown.
They could also use someone from their woeful bench to step up as well. With Danny Granger being absent this has left them a little thin. As the second unit only scored 10 points in Friday’s 81-73 win over Atlanta.
Key matchup: J.R. Smith vs. Lance Stephenson. We have a pretty good idea what is coming from Anthony but they need consistency from Smith who is the team’s second option despite coming off the bench. Stephenson is the fifth option for a Pacers lineup that needs him to lock down Smith rather than fill the hoop.
Big question: Will Amare Stoudemire play? More importantly, if he does, will he be a help or a hindrance to the Knicks as the team has not performed as well when he has been healthy.
Best bet: Pacers in seven.
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