Say what you will about the New York Knicks, they have depth issues, continuity problems, and a coach who doesn't seem willing or able to maximize his players' skill sets. One thing you can't say, though, is that they don't have resolve. This Knicks team is tough, and they leaned into that toughness once again to force a Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks got a superstar effort from Jalen Brunson, who was masterful in Game 5, scoring 32 points along with pulling in five rebounds and dishing out five assists. His co-star, Karl-Anthony Towns, scored an efficient 24 points while pulling in 13 rebounds, and that got key contributions from bench players, specifically Landry Shamet, who gave them 14 impactful minutes.
What was most impressive about the Knicks, however, was their effort on the defensive side of the ball. Indiana had been dismantling the Knicks' defense through the first four games of the series, but in Game 5, New York completely and utterly shut them down in a game where they absolutely needed to.
Best defensive effort of the playoffs
The Knicks held the Pacers to 94 points, which was the first time all playoffs that Indiana was held to under 100 points. The low scoring stemmed from the Knicks taking the Pacers' stars out of the game.
Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner combined to score only 28 points. Haliburton and Turner specifically were non-factors on the offensive end. Haliburton only attempted seven shots from the field, making two of them. Turner, on the other hand, only took three shots from the field all game. It was the fewest field goal attempts the Pacers' center had taken in a playoff game since 2018.
New York made life difficult for the Pacers in a variety of ways. According to league tracking data, the Pacers generated only 0.9 points per direct drive, and only 1 point per direct pick. Additionally, they allowed only 0.2 points per direct on handoffs, the lowest all postseason for any team that ran at least 15 handoff actions in a single game.
As a team, the Knicks had 11 steals in Game 5, their most in a game this series. OG Anunoby, the Knicks' best defender, was responsible for three of them.
More work to be done
It was just one win. The Knicks will need a repeated effort in Game 6 to get the series back to New York. Still, the effort was encouraging. When the Knicks dig their heels in and defend like that, they are capable of beating anyone.
Towns echoed that in his postgame comments, saying, "It's a testament to our team answering the call. We have to execute at a higher level - I think tonight we did that. We're going to have to be even better next game if we expect to have our season continue."