Would Knicks Have Better Shot Against Celtics?
The New York Knicks might be kicking themselves a little bit as they watch the Eastern Conference Finals between the team that beat them, the Indiana Pacers, and the team they wanted to chase all along, the Boston Celtics.
On Saturday night, the Celtics roared back late to win Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take a commanding 3-0 lead, pushing the Pacers to the brink of elimination.
No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in any best-of-seven NBA Playoffs series. That begs the question, would the Knicks be in that same spot if they beat the Pacers in Game 7?
The Pacers have struggled with injuries during the series, specifically to All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who sat out of Saturday's Game 3 with a hamstring injury. The Knicks may have gotten off worse in that department.
In this hypothetical scenario, every Knicks injury still exists, which means New York would have been without Jalen Brunson, who fractured his hand in Game 7, and OG Anunoby, who left Game 7 with a hamstring strain. The Knicks would also not have had Josh Hart at 100 percent, but knowing how he handled his abdominal strain for Game 7, he likely would have played through it against the Celtics.
Even though the Pacers nearly pulled out a Game 3 win without Haliburton, it's hard to see the Knicks doing that without Brunson leading the offense. Brunson had a historic postseason, averaging 32.4 points per game during the 13 games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Pacers. The Knicks would need him against the Celtics in order to even have a chance.
If Brunson was healthy, things may have been different. Perhaps the Knicks would have won a game or two by now, but these playoffs have proven that the best ability is availability.
The Celtics have gotten extremely lucky in the playoffs with all three of their opponents up until now dealing with major injuries to their stars. Jimmy Butler missed the Miami Heat playoff series, Donovan Mitchell couldn't finish on the court with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now Haliburton is limping to the finish line with the Pacers.
The Pacers also had some strong injury luck, facing the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo and a hobbled Damian Lillard. They also faced a bruised Knicks squad, but now that luck appears to have run out.
While these injuries aren't exactly the result of overuse or fatigue, this postseason has shown why staying healthy has never been more important.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.