The Indiana Pacers are officially the Cinderella team of 2025 in the NBA playoffs. They have already toppled the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers and are up 2-1 against the New York Knicks. Despite being seen as the underdogs against the Knicks, they have a clear advantage that has already shown itself in the first three games of the series.
The Knicks are known for playing their starters big minutes, with all five starters averaging at least 35 minutes a game. That is due to coach Tom Thibodeau, who has historically leaned on his starters to play heavy minutes and much less on his bench.
While this strategy undoubtedly led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals, it hasn't be as effective when facing the Pacers. In the three games of the series, the Pacers have played 10 players for at least 20 minutes. Moreover, they have played 12 players for at least 10 minutes.
That might not seem like a giant deal, but the Pacers play exceptionally fast, ranking seventh in pace during the regular season, compared to the Knicks, who ranked 26th. Things tend to slow down in the playoffs, which would normally benefit the Knicks, but the Pacers still play at a breakneck pace.
Can the Knicks figure out how to counter the Pacers?
Playing many players for at least a few minutes gives the Pacers an advantage in the sense that it allows them to keep their pace of pay up. Meanwhile, the Knicks may be getting worn down.
Playing big minutes through the seasons is a lot easier to do when playing slow, but doing the same while playing faster is much harder and could quickly wear them out. It's also worth mentioning that the Pacers ranked third in field goal percentage and aren't reliant on threes.
They ranked just 21st in 3-point attempts but 12th in 2-point attempts and fourth in 2-point percentage. That is unusual since most fast-paced teams often launch threes, but they don't. As a result, they are less susceptible to shooting slumps. That means the Knicks have less margin for error.
The Knicks can't beat the Pacers by playing their style
The Knicks have no easy way to counter the Pacers' fast-paced, egalitarian approach. After all, they aren't particularly deep, and Thibodeau isn't going to start playing his bench more minutes. The longer the series continues, the more challenging it may become for the Knicks to keep up. Therefore, they shouldn't try to keep up, instead they should play as methodical as possible.
To their Knicks' credit, their strategy of crashing the offensive glass has been effective even if they are still down in the series. They also had a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation in Game 1, only to blow it.
Still, they did come back from 20 down in Game 3, thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns exploding in the fourth quarter and terrific team defense. Executing better down the stretch and slowing things down, would keep the Pacers on their heels and help the Knicks even the series.
Overall, the Pacers have a clear advantage when it comes to depth and pace compared to the Knicks, who play their starters big minutes and play slow. With the Knicks already down 1-2, they can't afford to change course. They will have to better execute to prolong the series and stop playing into the Pacers' hands.