The Knicks' title chances are slipping away. They dropped Games 1 and 2 to the Pacers and now head to Indiana in a substantial hole. The combination of several events has put the Knicks in this spot. There is a historic Game 1 collapse, a coach unwilling to make key adjustments, along with some excellent play from the Pacers. As far as on the court events, their carelessness with basketball is among the biggest contributors to their deficit.
Before Game 1, I wrote about how important winning the turnover battle would be in order for the Knicks to be successful in this series. Both teams, and both of their best players, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton, are known for doing a good job taking care of the ball. Haliburton is among the best passers in the game, and Brunson is extremely risk-averse.
Sloppy turnovers
Through two games, the Pacers' reputation for taking care of the ball has held up, while the Knicks' reputation for the same has been shattered. So far, the Knicks have committed 28 turnovers while the Pacers have committed only 17.
Shockingly, Brunson has been the biggest culprit. He has 10 turnovers through two games, the most of any player in either of the two Conference Finals. On top of that, there are the circumstances in which these turnovers occurred. The margins for victory are so incredibly small in the playoffs that even one error can be the difference in the outcome of a game.
In Game 1, the Knicks committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter and four, including two by Brunson, in the overtime period. Six turnovers in the final 17 minutes are tough to overcome. In Game 2, they only committed one turnover in the fourth quarter, but it was a costly one.
With roughly 10 minutes remaining in the game's final quarter, and the Knicks trailing by three points, Deuce McBride lost control of a baseline dribble, giving possession to the Pacers. That play alone didn't lose the Knicks the game, clearly. But in a game of inches, the Knicks repeatedly gave the Pacers a foot. The Pacers are too talented of an offense to give them extra possessions, but that is what the Knicks have continued to do.
Pacers are capitalizing
The Pacers are taking these turnovers and turning them into points. Over the two games, the Pacers have a total of 44 points scored off of New York turnovers. The Knicks, on the other hand, only have 16, a difference of 28 points in a two-game period where the Knicks have lost by a combined eight points.
In a war built of many smaller battles, the turnover battle is a critical one. The Knicks need to fix that before they can even think about coming back in this series.