(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Not many people believe in the Indiana Pacers.
They had a somewhat easier path to the second round of the playoffs by getting a decimated Milwaukee Bucks team, and some were still shocked to see them getting this far.
Nonetheless, the Pacers are no joke, and they actually had the best offense in the league all season long.
That’s why, as much as he still believes the New York Knicks will take care of business in this series, ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith said they might need six games to do so.
Talking on “First Take,” Smith stated that the Knicks have struggled offensively at times, and that’s something they cannot afford against a high-flying offense like the Pacers’.
“I’m going to pick the Knicks in six. I believe they will win this series but it doesn’t mean that they don’t make me nervous.”
@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/IrW5LjNEn9
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 6, 2024
He claimed that the Knicks would need to slow the tempo of the game down and make sure to crash the boards and not give the Pacers any extra possessions, and he was also concerned about Donte DiVincenzo’s scoring inconsistency.
Even so, he believes that Jalen Brunson will once again be the defining factor for Tom Thibodeau’s team, although he did express concerns about how much he can wear the players out by playing them heavy minutes at this point in the year.
The Knicks are favored ahead of this series, and rightfully so.
There’s no excuse not to get the job done against the No. 6 seed, not even if the Pacers have played great basketball more often than not.
Then again, this is also a rivalry that date backs decades, and anything can happen in the playoffs.
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