Playoff Game Preview: New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers, Game 7, May 19, 2024

On Friday night at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Knicks lost Game Six of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, 116-103. The tilt was more lopsided than the score suggests. After winning the opening two games, New York lost three of four, and yet reasons for optimism remain as they prepare to play Game Seven this afternoon. It's a do-or-die game, but good luck forcing these Knicks into a casket.

The home team has won every game of the series, and Madison Square Garden can be a formidable sixth man. And reinforcements are on the way! An vital player could rejoin the depleted team, too, with OG Anunoby upgraded to questionable for the contest. Another key guy, Josh Hart—the team's second Most Valuable Player—is questionable, too, with an abdominal strain. . . . Yeah, our money is on Josh suiting up. That dude is going all twelve rounds with one eye swollen shut and cauliflower ear.

In Game Six, Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and added seven rebounds and five assists. He utilized his length against smaller Knicks defenders in what was his best game of the semis. A repeat performance is unlikely today; a healthy Anunoby can take care of Siakam.

The Knicks were creamed on the glass and in the paint on Friday. Every Indy starter grabbed at least six boards, looking determined after being embarrassed on the boards in the previous game. Today, we expect Hart to be a difference-maker on the glass, scarfing up double-digit boards despite his abdominal pain. How is that possible? By receiving a rectus sheath block, apparently.

Josh hart will likely get a rectus sheath block before the game to help manage the pain. I'm sure he will try to tough it out and give it a go since it's game 7 #knicks

— Eric Friedman, MD (@sportsinjuryMD) May 18, 2024

Per Google's new AI, "A rectus sheath block (RSB) is a technique that involves injecting local anesthetic between the rectus abdominis muscle and the posterior rectus sheath to provide analgesia to the abdominal wall. It's a fascial block that provides analgesia for somatic pain at the midline of the abdominal wall between the xiphoid process and the pubis symphysis." Posting and Toasting keeps you informed!

In Friday's loss, Jalen Brunson scored 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting, and shooting guard Miles McBride added 20. McBride can put the clamps on Indiana's All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, and did for most of the last game, limiting him to 15 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. If Anunoby does return to the lineup, coach Tom Thibodeau will have to decide which shooting guard moves to the bench unit, Deuce or Donte DiVincenzo. I have my preference. What's yours?

Prediction

ESPN.com favors the second-seeded Knicks by 55%. I'll take it. The Knicks are relentless grapplers, led by their ascending superstar Jalen Brunson and Thibs' all-business style. They have more heart, unity, and passion than those Hoosiers. Regardless of the final score, the Bockers have made us proud this season.

Do you detect a hint of melancholy in the air? Will this be P&T's final preview of the 2023-24 campaign? Could be. We're not ready for New York's season to be done, and given the team's personality, we know our heroes feel the same. No matter the outcome of the series, this postseason will be remembered for the injuries New York had to overcome. A full-strength Knicks squad (including Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanovic) would have swept these pretender Hicks; a squad of Brunson, DiVincenzo, Hart, Anunoby, Hartenstein, McBride, and Achiuwa should finish the job today. Prediction: The Knicks win by a bucket to advance to the ECF, fulfilling their destiny.

Game Details

What: Game Seven, 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals

Who: New York Knicks (3-3) vs Indiana Pacers (3-3)

When: 3:30 pm EST, Sunday, May 19, 2024

Where: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NY

Watch: ABC

Follow: @ptknicksblog