Pacers most to blame for devastating Game 5 loss to Knicks

The leading story about the Pacers following their heartbreaking Game 1 loss that didn’t come without its fair share of controversy was that Tyrese Haliburton was basically AWOL. Haliburton, a nightly 20-10 threat in the regular season, seemed as if he was content with letting his teammates run the show while he watched. If he were a role player, then that would have been perfectly fine. But he’s supposed to be the team’s best player — the man responsible for taking his team to the promised land.

Haliburton put up just six points and he had just six field-goal attempts during that game; the Knicks were able to make things uncomfortable for him by running him off the three-point line, and he played passively as a result. But the Pacers star corrected that in the three games that followed.

In Game 2, Haliburton came alive, scoring 34 points on 11-19 shooting, showing signs of life despite the Pacers’ defeat. In Game 3, he remained on fire as he put up 35 points, with the best part being that he took 26 shots. And then in Game 4, Haliburton brought the swagger and talked some trash as they blew out the Knicks; he didn’t even have to do much in a 121-89 blowout, but he still was the team’s leading scorer.

However, Game 5 was an ugly one for the Pacers, and Tyrese Haliburton’s play did not help matters at all. It was rather odd; Haliburton wasn’t exactly having a bad shooting game, as he finished the blowout loss having made five of his nine shot attempts, but the way he was uninvolved in the team’s offensive initiation was startling. The way Brunson commandeered the Knicks’ offense was such a stark contrast to how Haliburton was parked in an off-ball role for a considerable part of the game.

Haliburton has to find a way to play the way he did in Games 2-4 if the Pacers were to send the series back to MSG for a decisive Game 7.

Pacers’ point of attack defense was exposed

It’s rather disingenuous not to credit Jalen Brunson for the way he dominated the Pacers’ defense in Game 5. You don’t score 44 in the NBA — and 40 points in the playoffs repeatedly — without being dominant, and the Knicks star deserves a ton of credit for remaining at the top of his game despite dealing with a foot injury.

However, the Pacers defense was infuriating for most of Game 5. There were miscommunications on screening actions, botched coverages on inbounds plays, and a general difficulty in keeping their man in front of them. Brunson carved them up so much to the point that the Pacers had to throw multiple bodies at him, and the Knicks promptly cashed in on the open looks that attention created.

The Pacers have the makings of a contending team for the years to come, but it’s clear that they have to upgrade their perimeter defense to amount to something more than a playoff filler.