On May 24, Beijing time, in the second game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers narrowly defeated the Knicks 114-109 away, leading the series 2-0. Pacers core Pascal Siakam scored 39 points with an efficient performance of 15 of 23 shots and 3 of 5 three-pointers, breaking his personal playoff career single-game scoring record, and becoming the first Pacers player since Paul George to score 35+ in a single playoff game. Haliburton contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists, and Myles Turner scored 13 points in the final quarter, becoming the key figure to lock in the victory. For the Knicks, Jaylen Brunson scored 36 points and 11 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each scored 20 points, but still failed to prevent the team from losing at home.

Rivals vs. Rivals, History Repeats

The game was full of gunpowder at the start. In the first quarter, Siakam scored 16 points with 6 of 9 shots. The Pacers led by 10 points at one point, but the Knicks responded with a 17-5 wave with the impact of Brunson and Anunoby to overtake and ended the first quarter with 26-24. In the second quarter, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war. Brunson scored another 11 points in a single quarter, and the Knicks led 52-49 at halftime.
After the change of sides, the Pacers relied on Haliburton's connection and Siakam's continuous output (32 points with 13 of 18 shots in three quarters) to keep the score close, and the two sides entered the final quarter with 81 points. In the fourth quarter, the depth advantage of the Pacers' bench lineup was revealed. Turner scored 13 points in a single quarter, Siakam's key three-pointer and counterattack dunk widened the gap. Although Brunson scored 5 points in a row and assisted Hart to catch up to 1 point in the last moment, the Pacers ended the suspense with steady free throws.
25 years ago, the Pacers led by Reggie Miller eliminated the Knicks 4-2 in the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals, but ultimately missed the championship. Today, this team, which has never won the O'Brien Cup since entering the NBA in 1976, meets its old rival, the Knicks, again. This victory allowed the Pacers to continue their dominance in this season's playoffs: the Bucks were eliminated 4-1 in the first round, and the Cavaliers were defeated 4-1 in the second round. They started the three series 2-0 away from home and took the lead.

The gap in the depth and physical fitness of the Knicks' rotation was fully exposed in the two games

The Pacers' success stems from the dual advantages of team basketball philosophy and deep rotation. In this season's playoffs, they ranked first in the league with an average of 28.1 assists and 16.3 fast break points per game, and ranked second with a bench score of 34.2 points. In this round of the series, 4 players have scored 20+ in a single game, while the Knicks only have Brunson and Towns to support the firepower.
This collective offensive was demonstrated to the extreme in G2: 7 of the team's 11 players scored in double digits, and the substitutes scored 21-12 in the final quarter. Siakam's 39 points set a new personal playoff high, but he still emphasized that "we never care who scores, we just want to win." On the other hand, the Knicks were constrained by a short rotation of 7 players, and the main players' physical crisis was highlighted in the final quarter - Brunson made 3 of 7 shots in the fourth quarter, and Towns only scored 2 points in the last 5 minutes. The Pacers continued to exert pressure with their depth advantage, and the three key data of fast break points (18-6), second offense points (15-9) and points from turnovers (23-12) were fully dominant. The US media "Yahoo Sports" pointed out that this tactical strategy of maintaining a high-intensity offensive and defensive rhythm through rotation thickness is the tactical dividend that the Pacers have realized from the concept of "team basketball."

Historical curse and future suspense

Since the NBA adopted the 2-2-1-1-1 format in 1985, the probability of a team leading 2-0 in the conference finals to advance is as high as 92.7% (76 wins and 6 losses), and in NBA history, no team has ever turned the tables after starting 0-2 at home in the conference finals (0 wins and 17 losses). The Knicks need to face two major difficulties when they return to their home court: Brunson's average playing time of 42.3 minutes per game is close to the limit, and the team's three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs is only 33.7% (fourth from the bottom in the league). On the other hand, the Pacers have 6 wins and 1 loss away from home this season, averaging 123.1 points per game, and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.2%, ranking first among playoff teams.

25 years ago, the Pacers led by Reggie Miller lost in the finals; now, can the Pacers break the team's historical curse? In Game 3 on May 26, the Knicks will face a real life-and-death battle - if they lose again at home, the desperate situation of 0-3 will completely devour their championship dream. The Pacers are only two wins away from rewriting their team history.

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