Knicks at Pacers: Halftime Thoughts From Game 4

On a day of flowers, the New York Knicks have wilted.

Five different Indiana Pacers reached double figures in the opening half of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, forcing the Knicks to deal with a mother of a deficit at 69-41 after 24 minutes. New York is thus dangerously close to losing a 2-0 lead entirely and dealing with a tied series upon returning to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Knicks (41)

Points: Alec Burks (11)
Assists: Donte DiVincenzo (4)
Rebounds: Precious Achiuwa (5)

May 12, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates a | Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Pacers (69)

Points: Tyrese Haliburton (13)
Assists: T.J. McConnell/Andrew Nembhard (4)
Rebounds: Tyrese Haliburton/Aaron Nesmith (5)

Not-So-Merry Mitch-miss

Mitchell Robinson has built the longest active New York career for a reason, and his absence has been particularly felt in Game 3. Indiana has since developed an outside game and the Knicks countered with interior work of their own, but the large lead was built through points in the paint. Pascal Siakam, for example, has proven very effective while staying out of foul trouble while Isaiah Jackson has hauled in three offensive rebounds in four quick minutes. It's not like the substitutions haven't been up to snuff (Precious Achiuwa has four offensive boards) but they'll need to channel their inner Robinsons if they're going to make a comeback.

Reserved Seating

The Knicks' bench has been an asset all season, having fully made up for the sacrifices made to build a better team. There's no doubt, however, that they could be yearning for even the smallest dose of Immanuel Quickley and/or Obi Toppin at this point. T.J. McConnell (10 points, 4 assists amidst brilliant perimeter defense) is almost daring Rick Carlisle to take him out again while Toppin is no doubt enjoying his revenge via slam dunk showcase. Alec Burks has forged some sort of comeback trail for the second straight game ... but how valuable can that be when most of the remaining rotation men have little, if any, major experience with him?

Expansion Team?

The Knicks have had their first half and were thoroughly embarrassed. The relative bright side is that the worst case scenario is the idea that they can use these last 24 as de facto research and development for what basically amounts to a best-of-three for a conference finals berth. Could that involve expanding what's left of the rotation? Could Shake Milton's defense get a chance to show up despite a month-plus in storage? Could Burks get some time to know the starters? The Knicks don't have much of a choice if they're going to keep playing like this. Barring a hot start, the second half will more or less become a scrimmage. Either way, New York must make the most of it.

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