Josh Hart signals Knicks to ’embody’ Tom Thibodeau’s culture before Game 6

The Knicks took a 2-0 series lead with two narrow wins in Games 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden, then the Pacers held serve in their two home games. Game 3 was another nail-biter, and the game was tied in the waning minutes before Andrew Nembhard’s three-point shot from way behind the arc gave Indiana the lead for good. As mentioned before, Game 4 was a blowout from the start, as the Pacers won 121-89.

After Game 4, many believed that the Knicks were out of gas and doomed in the series, especially due to the minutes that players like Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were playing. The injuries to Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic loomed large before, but OG Anunoby’s hamstring injury in game 2 shortened the rotation even more. That along with Jalen Brunson struggling in the few games after a foot injury fueled the narrative that the Knicks were out of gas after the Game 4 blowout.

At least in Game 5, the Knicks firmly disproved that narrative. New York returned the favor and blew out the Pacers by winning 121-91. Brunson looked like the superstar he has been for the majority of the year, while the roster as a whole did not look like it lacked energy one bit.

Extra days off benefitting Knicks?

To start this series, there has been one day off between each of the first four games. Between Games 4 and 5, there were two off days. This might have given the Knicks players a chance to rest and reset for Game 5. Heading into Game 6, there are once again two off days.

Game 5 took place on Tuesday, and the game was out of hand so that the Knicks’ most important players could get some rest at the end. Given that and Hart’s comments, it would be a surprise to see the Knicks come out and give a bad effort energy wise. They might get beaten, but it would be shocking if it was for lack of effort. That is not the mark of a Tom Thibodeau team. The Game 4 blowout seemingly still bothers them.

If the Pacers force a Game 7, that would take place on Sunday back at Madison Square Garden. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this back-and-forth series.