A timeworn NBA axiom is that fans need not tune into the game until the final two minutes.
The New York Knicks seemed to defy that idea the previous three games, spurting to large early leads while forcing the Indiana Pacers to scramble for their playoff lives in these contentious Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks shot 63 percent in the first quarter–making their first eight shots–to take a 15-point lead Wednesday night. They increased their advantage to 18 points before turning colder than a Chicago winter.
The Pacers stormed back to take a two-point halftime lead, outscoring New York 25-8 in the second period en route to an 88-79 triumph that gives them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“We just had to fight and give it everything we had,” Pacers guard Travis Best said.
In the playoffs Indiana is 8-2 at home after defeating New York three times at Conseco Fieldhouse. Indiana recorded a league-best 36-5 home mark during the regular season.
This is Indiana’s third consecutive trip to the conference finals and its fifth in seven years. New York ousted the Pacers in seven games in 1994 and Orlando eliminated the Pacers in seven games the following year. The Bulls beat Indiana in seven games in 1998.
The Pacers have a chance to close out the Knicks Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Game 7, if necessary, will be played Sunday in Indianapolis.
The Knicks shot a franchise playoff-low 12.5 percent in the second quarter (2 for 16), while the Pacers were connecting on 8 of 20 from the field and converting five of six free throws.
“We’ve had problems all year in the first quarter,” Pacers coach Larry Bird said.
The Knicks and Pacers were tied at two games apiece last year in the Eastern Conference finals. New York won in old Market Square Arena 101-94 and then closed out the best-of-seven series by winning Game 6 in Madison Square Garden 90-82.
“Just because we lost two games [in New York last weekend], that doesn’t mean we’re not determined,” Pacers swingman Jalen Rose said before Wednesday night’s game. “We know what it takes to get here. We just don’t know what it’s like to get over this hump and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish.
“They took care of their home floor, and they got a lot of credit, and they deserve it. I feel like we’re the best team in the NBA on our home floor and I’m planning on us holding serve. I don’t think there will be a letdown by us or our fans.
“Coming into this series, everyone knew it was going to be a dogfight. . . . It’s not easy at this point of the season and we understand that.”
Bird criticized The Pacers for their lack of aggressiveness in the two losses in New York.
Veteran Knicks center Patrick Ewing returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous two games with acute tendinitis in his right foot. But power forward Larry Johnson, who torched the Pacers with 25 points Monday, had only two points at halftime. The Knicks said Johnson sustained a foot injury in the final minutes of Monday’s game.
The Knicks entered Wednesday night with a 5-1 record against the Pacers over the past two postseasons without Ewing in the lineup. Ewing had 11 points at halftime Wednesday night, and finished with 13.
