3 Reasons New York Knicks Can Force Game 7 vs. Indiana Pacers In NBA Playoffs
Just when it seemed like the New York Knicks were finished, they delivered one of their most impressive performances of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Thanks to their 111-94 home win over the Indiana Pacers Thursday night—a game in which they never trailed—the Eastern Conference Finals will now return to Indianapolis for Game 6.
“I'm just very proud of what we did,” Jalen Brunson said after the win.
Entering Game 5, the Knicks were facing stiff odds. Teams trailing 3-1 in a playoff series have only come back to win 13 out of 284 times. And yet, it now feels like the Knicks have a real shot at becoming the first team to do so since the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 bubble.
Here are three reasons why.
Pacers Have No Answers for Knicks Stars
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Both Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were brilliant on offense Thursday night.
Brunson set the tone with three quick baskets coming out of the gate and finished the evening with 32 points on an impressive 12-of-18 shooting. He also dished five assists.
Overall, Brunson has had his way with Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard this series, but this was the first game where he looked comfortable going up against Aaron Nesmith, too. He had his step-back going, but he also made a point of bullying his way into the paint. He made quicker decisions all game.
Towns, meanwhile, continued to bulldoze the Pacers with his drives to the rim. “I just came into the game thinking about being ultra-aggressive, and if I get a chance to go down hill or impact the game I wanted to do that,” Towns told reporters after the victory.
His drives don’t look balletic, but over the past few games, Towns has done a better job of maintaining his balance while attacking and finishing strong through contact, as opposed to lunging forward in hopes of coaxing a whistle.
Towns racked up 24 points Thursday night for the third straight game and grabbed 13 rebounds. And most notably, the Knicks outscored the Pacers by 26 points in the 36 minutes Towns was on the floor.
The pairing was so potent that the Knicks were able to outscore the Pacers by 23 points in their 26 minutes on the floor. In Game 4, the Knicks were outscored by four points in the Brunson-Towns minutes.
And here’s a stat for you: The last pair of teammates to score 20 or more points in each of the first five games of a Conference Finals? Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 2002.
Knicks May Have Figured Out How To Slow Tyrese Haliburton
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In Game 4, Haliburton wasn’t just the best player on the court—he looked like one of the best players in the NBA.
In Game 5, he looked lost. He scored only eight points. He attempted just seven shots and just two three-pointers. He dished just six assists.
“Rough night for me,” he told reporters after the game.
Haliburton added that it felt like the Knicks did a better job of mixing up their defensive coverages, adding in some blitzes on pick-and-rolls. He commended Brunson for showing harder on screens.
“They picked up the pressure a little bit more,” Haliburton said.
Limiting Haliburton also allowed the Knicks to slow down the Pacers’ potent transition game. They finished with just 15 fast break points after racking up 22 in each of the previous two games. It’s unlikely Haliburton plays this poorly again this series. But the Pacers’ entire offensive attack is predicated on his ability to control the game.
If the Knicks can slow that even just a bit, they could have the advantage going forward.
“I think we paid attention to the details as a team,” Brunson said. “And the little things go a long way.”
The Knicks Have Serious Bench Players
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Wait, the Knicks have a bench?
Yes, the Tom Thibodeau-coached Knicks have a bench! Landry Shamet and Delon Wright have become fixtures in the rotation now, and both continue to reward Thibodeau for his faith.
Shamet, in particular, was fantastic in Game 5, drilling a pair of threes and working as hard as any Knick on the defensive end. He may be slight, but his rotations are always on point, his effort is always there and he battles even when thrust into mismatches.
Entering Game 5, lineups with Shamet and Wright have outscored playoff opponents by 21 points in 32 minutes. In Game 5, both players finished the game +4. And not only are they giving the Knicks good minutes, but they’re also allowing Thibodeau to keep the Knicks’ stars fresh.
It’s like a new era of Knicks basketball. And it’s one that have might the Knicks poised for a historic comeback and their first trip to the Finals in 25 years.
Yaron Weitzman is an award-winning NBA writer and the author of Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. Follow him on X at @YaronWeitzman and on Bluesky at @yaronweitzman.bsky.social.
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