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Stylistically, the Knicks and Pacers represent almost polar opposites. And the Pacers brand of basketball has been wearing teams down for months.
They are one of the fastest teams in the league, constantly looking to push the ball in transition. Defensively, they often pick up opponents full-court.
After eliminating the No. 1 seed Cavaliers in five games last round, Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson admitted he had “mad respect” for how the Pacers play and how much trouble it gave his side.
“It’s like a college team, I say that in a really good way,” Atkinson said. “They press for 48 minutes and they run faster than anybody in the league. … And to their credit, they’ve recruited to that style of play. They surrounded their best player with that.”
In the regular season, the Pacers averaged 100.8 possessions per 48 minutes (seventh most in the NBA). The Knicks averaged 97.08 (fourth fewest). In the playoffs, the Pacers are averaging 99.3, while the Knicks are at 95.3.
Tyrese Haliburton thrives in transition with his ability to get to the rim and find open teammates on fast breaks.
“We have to try to be physical, get to the ball, get them out of rhythm and lastly communicate so they don’t have open shots,” Josh Hart, who is often the one pushing the Knicks to play faster, said after practice on Monday. “It’s going to be a huge defensive series for us. I think we’re capable of it.
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“We’re communicating at a higher level. I think the last two games of the Boston series without [Jayson] Tatum, they were moving the ball a little bit faster, they were running quicker. It forced us to communicate at a high level. I think that’s something that can help us going into this series with Indiana.”
The Pacers are able to sustain that relentless energy by utilizing a deep bench.
Coach Rick Carlisle plays a nine- and 10-man rotation, and nobody has averaged more than Haliburton’s 34.1 minutes per game this postseason.
Every Knicks starter has averaged more, and coach Tom Thibodeau has whittled his rotation down to seven players most nights.
“I think you look at what the strengths of your team are and you build your system around that,” Thibodeau said Monday. “Haliburton has certain strengths. I think if you overlook the type of player that [Andrew] Nembhard is, you are making a mistake. And then, you build your system around that. … The uniqueness [is] their ability to push the ball and skilled bigs.”
If the Knicks can’t counter that system and uniqueness, Thibodeau will end up sounding like Atkinson by the end of the series.
