Indiana Pacers down the New York Knicks 125-91: 6 talking points

The New York Knicks stood a game and a half ahead of the Indiana Pacers before this contest. They dropped to 32-19 as the Pacers improved to 33-21 after today’s 125-91 beatdown. Here are some points to note from this game-

Star shines for Pacers, dims for Knicks

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 20: Paul George #24 of the Indiana Pacers during the game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks

Prior to the game I had observed that Paul George is the best player on the Pacers right now. He played like that too. Coming off an All- Star game in which he scored 17 points, he had on 11 for 19 shooting in this one for 27 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. And the best part for the Pacers is that they did this without their star Danny Granger. The Pacers got great production from their star but the Knicks did not get the same. Carmelo Anthony had a poor showing as he finished with 15 points on 7 of 21 shooting. Melo was 1 of 6 from downtown, bucking his trend of great outside shooting this season. Speaking of three point shooting…

Live and die by the three ball

One major concern of the Pacers was to limit the damage the Knicks would do from the outside. They were effective in containing them as the Knicks only shot 1 of 15 from beyond the arc. Shumpert was 0 for 4, Melo was 1 for 6, Felton and Kidd were 0 for 5 combined. Steve Novak did shoot 3 of 7 though. In contrast, the Pacers were 11 of 24 from behind the arc, led by Paul George’s 4-9 effort.

A statement

The Pacers were looking to downplay the importance of this game by treating it as just another game. “This is not a statement. This is just another game on the schedule.”- Pacers guard George Hill said.

Their coach was more honest. “There’s no better way to come out of the break than to play the team immediately above you in the standings. We want to close the gap. We want to take the two seed from New York and we want to try to push Miami for the one seed. Any win’s a confidence-booster, but especially a big win against a great team against the Knicks.”- said Indiana’s coach Frank Vogel.

There’s a chance that these two teams end up playing each other in the postseason, and the seeds for a rivalry are brewing. One way to water them is by getting technicals all around when you play each other and the Knicks did not disappoint.

Technically speaking

NDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 20: J.R. Smith #8 of the New York Knicks protects the ball during the game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks

You have nothing to gain by letting the other team get a free trip to the line and flirt with the possibility of being ejected yourself. The Knicks did themselves no favours by crossing the line and getting T’d up. J.R. Smith and Lance Stephenson got into it and earned double technicals after the halftime buzzer. J.R. Smith was later ejected in the third quarter for arguing with an official. Towards the end of the game, Raymond Felton was assessed with a Type 1 Flagrant Foul.

Returns delayed

Danny Granger was set to return a couple games before the All-Star break but he didn’t feel up for lacing his sneakers today either. Although he has been practising with the team, his return date is still uncertain. The Pacers are hoping he will be available for their next home game vs the Pistons. For the Knicks, although they had Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby back for practice, neither suited up for this game. The ailments being cited for the two are foot problems. But you can just as easily list age among that as both players are 38 years old. Wallace’s return will help bolster the perimeter as much as inside presence as Rasheed is a capable three point shooter. Camby’s defensive exploits are well known. Right now the Knicks just have Tyson Chandler shoring up the interior and the return of their aged big men will undoubtedly make things easier going forward. For the Pacers, the return of David West and his 18 points helped them to bury the Knicks today.

Winnable games ahead

The Pacers play the Pistons twice next. Once at home and the next away. Detroit stands at 22-34 and has gone 5-5 in its last 10 games. There was a time when the Pistons were regular conference finalists and the Pacers were just nipping at their heels in the East. The tables have turned on this rivalry. The Knicks will play the Raptors and follow it with the Sixers. The Raptors are 22-33 and the Sixers are 22-30. Anytime you play a team with a losing record, you are expected to pull away with a win. The two teams can also use this opportunity to ease their injured personnel back into the lineup.

Here are the highlights from this game-