The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 102-95 to win game one. This was a contest in which the Pacers controlled for the most part. The Knicks struggled to contain the Pacers posting and their size really was a factor in this game. The Pacers outrebounded the Knicks 44-30 and that advantage really was the difference today.
The Knicks didn’t have great games from Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith. Both struggled with their shot as they shot a combined 14 of 43. Their struggles really made it difficult to win. Anthony scored 27 points while Smith scored 17 points. This was a game in which both would love to forget, but one they have to improve on.
Raymond Felton had a strong game as he scored 18 points today. Felton drove to the basket early on and made most of his shots. His strong start saw the Knicks lead for awhile, but later in the game Felton was nonexistent.
The Knicks can take some things away from this game. One being their strong pick and roll play. That was an area they took it to the Pacers in. They were able to force switches and get the offensive advantage with bad matchups. Those plays were gone late in the game, when the Knicks looked to use the isolation play.
With the Pacers now having a one game advantage, the Knicks will need to play tough basketball on Tuesday night. That game will simply be a must win.
Losing 102-95, the Knicks have work to do. The Pacers are a tough defensive team and today they showed that. This series will be won by the team who can best play defense. The Pacers get the first game, but expect the Knicks to fight back on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Twitter: @CaardelEaddy and or @CaardelsBlog
No comments:
Post a Comment