Well, that was not good. The Knicks had this game in hand late in the 4th quarter but a combination of soft defense on the 3-point line, hot shooting, missed foul shots and late turnovers created a collapse not seen going back at least 30 years. The Knicks are a resilient team and did some of this to the Celtics last series in those first two games but this takes it to another level of choking. A few observations:

1. SU notes how the Knicks went on a great run in the 4th quarter once Brunson went to the bench with his 5th foul. Taking nothing away from Brunson who is a great player but the ball “sticks” for much of the shot clock when he is in and walking the ball up the court and dribbling near mid-court. The Pacers are making the adjustment to double him out there and he fell down several times in overtime – probably exhausted. Josh Hart said in the post-game that they need to keep up the pace – that no doubt is directed at Brunson.
2. OG Anunoby has to be better. They cannot afford for any of the starters to not be scoring – especially if the scores are going to be north of 120 points in this series.
3. Guard the 3-point shooters – please. The defense in the last few minutes and overtime was really bad. SU says some of that is due to fatigue. The Pacers are running 10 guys out there and as Reggie Miller pointed out, none of them plays more than 33 minutes a game on average. As fast as Indiana plays, Thibs should consider longer minutes for Deuce McBride and Robinson at a minimum.
4. Haliburton is a punk. Great player but not in the mold of what SU likes to see from a player. The choke sign after his lucky shot bounced through the hoop was classless. Perhaps karma will come back to bite him on the ass later in this series.
5. The overturn on that call in the last minute on Anunoby was a horrendous call. He had fumbled the ball but was regaining possession to shoot it. The officiating reviews in the NBA are tiring. SU says the refs do the best they can and the calls will typically even out in the end. I know there is contact on every play and reffing in the NBA is incredibly hard. But that was a blown review.
6. The physical contact allowed against Brunson bringing the ball up the court is a joke. SU does not recall a rule in the NBA playbook that allows defenders to push, hold and grab like that. It has been allowed throughout the playoffs.
7. Most of the Knick playoff games this year have been very close – similar to last night. They know how to play in close games. Indiana is very good offensively and they want the fast pace. So do the Knicks. The problem for the rest of this series is that no lead will be considered to be safe for NY.

Game 2 is clearly a must win for the Knicks. We will find out if they are cooked or if they have some pride left. I think they will show out but it will not be easy. They could use Anthony Mason right about now to restore some order.

How are the rest of you feeling?