Pacers 121, Knicks 89: Look back but don’t linger

Wash your eyes, rinse your memory & forget Game 4 — though not before learning a thing or two that might help in Game 5

Well, as game 4’s go, that . . . couldn’t have gone any worse.

The Knicks took a 2-1 lead into Indiana and got run out of the building and sent back to New York feeling much differently than when they left. A 2-0 series lead has turned into a 2-2 tie. The Pacers and Knicks always seem to bring out the drama and this series is shaping up to be no different. With Game 5 on the horizon, let’s spend two seconds recapping how Game 4 fell apart so quickly before turning our attention to Tuesday’s swing game.

Run out of the building

This isn’t overly complex. The Knicks looked like they were running on the fumes of their fumes’ fumes. The Pacers picked up ballhandlers for 94 feet each time down the court and pushed in transition off makes and misses. Indiana, missing only Bennedict Mathurin from their regular rotation, goes 9-deep very comfortably, with an average age below 26. These aren’t excuses. They are objective facts.

And we can squabble about which players are most important on this Knicks team, but the truth of the matter is at this point, they just need more bodies. Tom Thibodeau really only trusts six guys at the moment. Josh Hart hadn’t seen the bench in weeks before the past two games. Jalen Brunson’s ankle/foot is/are so injured you wonder if favoring the other ankle/foot could cause further damage. How much does Isaiah Hartenstein have left? He’s looked completely overmatched; you wonder if the weight of a taxing season, much of the last few months on a compromised Achilles, is starting to overwhelm him. (Ed. note: including the playoffs, iHart is at a career-high 2200 minutes — 20% more than his previous high last season)

Regardless, this was an extremely discouraging loss, and not just due to the margin of defeat. Usually in a blowout there’s an outlier you can count on reverting or normalizing. “They won’t shoot like that again” is something you commonly hear. “We just have to get back to playing Knick basketball” is another. Unfortunately, the Knicks played their brand of basketball, at least a facsimile of it, creating nine more possessions (seven more offensive rebounds + two fewer turnovers) and taking 23 more free throws than Indiana, who “only” hit seven more threes than the Knicks. That means even if you evened out the threes, the Knicks still would have lost by double-digits despite their overwhelming possession and free throw advantages. All in all, the Pacers put forth one of the most dominant performances in recent memory.

Turning the page?

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering where the optimism lies. Simple: this team has earned the benefit of the doubt. The Knicks have fought through fire and brimstone all season. The chemistry, tenacity, grit and unity they’ve showcased through 92 regular-season and playoff games is authentic. We have no reason to expect anything but their best effort Tuesday.

What stood out as most jarring yesterday was how determined the Knicks seemed to be to get in their own way. Starting on the defensive end, keeping Hartenstein on Myles Turner is not working. Hartenstein is at his best when he can help around the basket, but Turner spends very little time in the paint; he’s a sharpshooter who creates space for his teammates through his gravity and knocks down open jumpers when they find him. Fortunately, the Pacers do have a guy who likes to operate in the paint in Pascal Siakam. The Knicks’ first change should be to stick Hartenstein on Siakam, which will elevate his impact as a help defender.

The Knicks’ next change should be to fire any thoughts of playing Precious Achiuwa at power forward deep into the abyss. Achiuwa has many positive qualities. Despite a reputation of having a volatile personality in Toronto, he has given Thibodeau nothing but his best effort consistently. Achiuwa is a decent finisher around the rim, a great defensive rebounder and able to switch onto guards, but his lack of shooting cramps the space. Achiuwa played 17 first-half minutes Sunday yet somehow didn’t play center for the first time until the four-minute mark of the second quarter. By then the game was well out of hand.

Replacing Achiuwa with Deuce McBride in the starting lineup will open things up for Brunson. Brunson is definitely hurt, but his struggles in Games 3 and 4 have far more to do with the burden he’s being asked to carry in a phone booth. McBride missed 10 of his first 13 shots but finished hitting three of four — give Brunson more space to operate in and we’ll start to see shots fall again. The Knicks can comfortably run a seven-man rotation (Achiuwa and the resurgent Alec Burks off the bench), play Achiuwa most (preferably all) of his minutes at center and still get Brunson, Hart and Donte DiVincenzo a couple minutes of much-needed rest.

What’s most promising about these adjustments is that they’re all connected. When you lose a game by 32 it’s easy to feel miles away from your destination — especially when it comes at the hands of such an overwhelming performance like the Pacers put on. But the Knicks aren’t that far off. They need two of these next three games. Conveniently, two of the next three happen to be at the Mecca.

The Pacers took care of business, but the onus is still on them to win where the lights are brightest. Thibodeau is one of the league’s most well-prepared coaches. It’s not difficult to imagine him making a couple of intertwining adjustments that give the Knicks a chance to win Game 5. This is a special team, and as we approach the 30-year anniversary of an unforgettable moment from another special New York team, it’s okay to put your belief in this team to defy the odds one more time.