The Knicks are heading into Indiana looking to get a big Game 6 win and send the series back to Madison Square Garden. Doing so will be easier said than done, but they have history on their side, at least. On June 3, 1994, with the Knicks down 3-2 to the Indiana Pacers, they won a Game 6 on the road, before winning Game 7 at home to reach the NBA finals.
That team, with legends such as Patrick Ewing and John Starks, would go on to lose in the NBA finals in seven games to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.
Now, outside of perhaps the start of a great motivational speech, the events that occurred 31 years ago have little to nothing to do with the current team. In fact, P.J. Tucker and Delon Wright were the only players on the Knicks' roster to even be born when that game happened.
No, the Knicks of years past can't help the current team. Ewing isn't walking through the locker room doors to save them. They will need to save themselves, to write their own history, and that starts with winning Game 6.
Need big time performances from their stars
In that 1994 Game 6, the Knicks got big performances from their stars. Ewing dropped 17 points, along with pulling in 10 rebounds. Starks scored 26 points while adding six assists. The current Knicks will need their guard and big man combo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to have dominant performances of their own.
Both players have been impeccable in the series so far. Brunson is scoring 33 points per game, while adding 5.4 assists. Meanwhile, Towns is pouring in 25.4 points per game while dominating the offensive glass to the tune of 11.8 rebounds.
Both players have proved that no one on the Pacers roster can stay in front of them, and the Knicks need them to prove it once again.
The "others" need to step up
While Brunson and Towns will likely be the engines, they will need help. OG Anunoby has been a defensive maestro, but the Knicks could use more scoring from him, or at least some improved outside shooting.
Mikal Bridges will once again be tasked with chasing Mikal Bridges around the floor. He did an exceptional job in Game 5, as increased ball-pressure paid dividends in slowing down the Pacers' star. They will need more of the same in Game 6.
The history book is open, the Knicks just need to write their own page in it.