New York Knicks: Five Keys To Defeating Indiana Pacers
A bitter rival will come to town on Monday, Tuesday 20. What must the New York Knicks do in order to defend home court and defeat the Indiana Pacers?
Feb 24, 2016; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) is guarded by New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Few rivalries in the iconography of NBA history are as iconic as that between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Though born fairly recent in comparison to the existence of the Knicks as an organization, the Knicks and Pacers hate each other—and there’s no way around it.
On Tuesday, December 20, the rivalry will be reborn when the Knicks host the Pacers at Madison Square Garden.
New York enters the clash with Indiana at 14-13, but it’s 2-3 over its past five games. Indiana has a similar record of 14-14, but it’s trending in a different direction with a record of 3-2 over its past five outings.
Both teams have the potential to rank amongst the Eastern Conference elite, however, and this game could be a turning point for both.
There aren’t many results more galvanizing for a team than a victory over a rival.In this instance, the Knicks would end a three-game losing streak and help stabilize a season that has trended towards greatness, but hit a rough patch.
The question is: what must the New York Knicks do in order to defeat the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, December 20?
December 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) shoots against the defense of Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
5. 3-Point Shooting
The New York Knicks have the personnel to be one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. Ron Baker, Justin Holiday, Brandon Jennings, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingis can all light opponents up from beyond the arc.
Against the Indiana Pacers, Jeff Hornacek will need to put those players in a position to succeed from beyond the 3-point line.
New York is making a respectable 9.0 3-point field goals per game—good for No. 14 in the NBA. Indiana, however, is allowing 10.3 3-point field goals per game—the fifth-worst mark in the Association.
If there’s any one area in which the Knicks can succeed in attacking the Pacers’ defense, it’s going to be from distance.
New York may look solid in terms of the season average, but it’s made just 20 3-point field goals over the past three games. The Knicks will need to be far more consistent from 3-point range against an Indiana team that can run the score up.
The Knicks’ first instinct shouldn’t necessarily be to shoot from distance, but it needs to be productive and efficient against a team that struggles to defend the 3-point shot.
Dec 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New York Knicks guard Brandon Jennings (3) reaches for the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) defends in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 127-114. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
4. Avoid Foul Trouble
The New York Knicks have run into a consistent issue during the 2016-17 NBA regular season: foul trouble. It’s become less of an issue for Kristaps Porzingis than it was in the opening days and weeks of the season, but it remains problematic for the team.
If the Knicks are going to defeat the Indiana Pacers, then they’ll need to avoid the silly fouls that consistently send the opposition to the line.
New York is sending opponents to the free throw line an average of 26.6 times per game—the fourth-worst mark in the NBA. Indiana is only averaging 22.3 free throw attempts per game, but it certainly has the personnel to break through against New York.
Jeff Teague and Paul George can consistently create penetration, and Al Jefferson can draw consistent contact from the post.
If New York manages to avoid foul trouble, then it should be able to secure a necessary victory against Indiana. It won’t be the only key to winning the game, but it will play a significant role in making this an equal battle.
Whether it’s a shooting foul or an ill-advised reach that puts New York in the bonus, the unnecessary issues must cease to persist.
3. Transition Defense
The New York Knicks have spent the past four games playing road games against teams that prefer to push the pace. During those matchups with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets, transition defense has been an issue.
If the Knicks continue to struggle to defend in the open court, the Indiana Pacers will run up the score and make this an ugly game.
Over the past four games, the Knicks have allowed 112, 113, 103, and 127 points—the formula for failure. Unfortunately, New York’s transition defense has been an issue for the better part of the 2016-17 NBA regular season.
New York is allowing 14.5 fast break points per game—seventh-most in the NBA—and 18.2 transition points per game—fifth-most in the NBA.
The Pacers haven’t played especially well in 2016-17, but they’re more than explosive enough to dominate in transition. Paul George and Jeff Teague are a two-man fast break unto themselves, and that could be enough given New York’s porous defense.
Transition defense has been an issue throughout the 2016-17 NBA regular season. That issue must be fixed before the Indiana game.
Dec 9, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) rebounds the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the second half at Golden 1 Center. The Knicks defeated the Kings 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
2. Offensive Rebounding
The New York Knicks have experienced trouble with crashing the defensive boards in 2016-17. One area in which the Knicks have consistently excelled, however, is in creating second chances by pulling down offensive rebounds.
Against the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks have an opportunity to control the pace of the game by dominating through offensive rebounding.
New York is No. 4 in the NBA with an average of 12.0 offensive rebounds per game. Indiana checks in at just 8.8 offensive rebounds per game, but that doesn’t excuse the Knicks from needing to box out and limit second chances.
The Knicks are allowing averages of 12.0 offensive rebounds and 15.0 second chance points per game—unforgivable numbers.
The good news for New York is that it’s also pulling down 12.0 offensive rebounds per game—No. 4 in the NBA—and scoring 15.5 second chance points per game—also No. 4. Against the Pacers, the Knicks should be able to thrive in that capacity.
Indiana is allowing the fifth-most offensive rebounds per game, which means New York should be able to exploit this advantage.
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is guarded by Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
1. Carmelo Anthony vs. Paul George
The NBA will witness a clash of stars when New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony matches up against Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George. Both players have All-NBA selections on their respective resumes and at least one Conference Finals appearance.
When the Knicks host the Pacers on Tuesday, the game will likely be decided by whichever player has the superior performance.
Anthony enters the clash with the Pacers averaging 22.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.9 3-point field goals made per game. He’s doing so on a slash line of .429/.336/.866, and scored 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting in his most recent outing.
George, meanwhile, is averaging 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.5 3-point field goals made per game on a slash line of .449/.394/.920.
Neither player has lived up to expectations from a statistical perspective in 2016-17, but both are capable of elite production. That beckons the obvious of question of which player will step up when their team needs them to on Tuesday?
This may not be as bitter of a rivalry as Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller had in the 1990s, but the Knicks will need Anthony to play like Ewing did in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
This win could go a long way towards determining the trajectory of the season, which means it’s Anthony’s time to shine as the leader of this postseason hopeful.
More from Daily Knicks
This article originally appeared on 
