Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t believe all four of the NBA and NHL conference finals are at 3–1. Will any of them get to a sixth game?
In today’s SI:AM:
🔮 100 bold NFL predictions
🏈 Problem with new CFP proposal
🤏 MLB’s shrinking strike zone
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Knicks on life support
The Indiana Pacers are on the verge of their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years.
The Pacers beat the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals last night, 130–121, to take a 3–1 lead in the series as it shifts back to New York on Thursday.
The Knicks have made a habit in this postseason of digging out of deep holes, but they weren’t able to stage another comeback in Game 4. New York trailed 115–102 at the midway point of the fourth quarter but then went on a 7–0 run to cut the deficit to six points. That was as close as the Knicks ever got. Throughout the final minutes of the game, the Knicks repeatedly failed to get defensive stops when they needed them, allowing the Pacers to remain comfortably ahead. The final nail in the coffin was a wide-open three by Obi Toppin on an inbounds play with 45 seconds left that stretched Indiana’s lead to 10. The Knicks’ defense totally lost track of Toppin and allowed him plenty of time to line up his shot.
OBI TOPPIN DAGGER AGAINST HIS FORMER TEAM IN GAME 4 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SEa43d0RTe
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 28, 2025
Poor defense sunk New York in Game 4 and has been its biggest problem throughout this series. The Knicks weren’t a great defensive team in the regular season (ranking 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions), and the Pacers have exploited their weaknesses.
It’s no secret what the weak link in the Knicks’ defense is. For a scorer as talented as Jalen Brunson, he is a liability on defense. The Pacers have repeatedly targeted him all series long, and in a variety of ways. They’ve forced the Knicks to send Brunson extra help, thereby leaving other players open, or used screens to get their best players matched up on him.
“When teams hunt me … I mean, it is what it is,” Brunson told reporters on Monday. “Obviously, I’m going to give my effort. I’m gonna give everything I have. I’ve just got to be smart and not foul, and I think if I just keep my body in the right position and contest shots, and foul or not foul—or not [do something the referees] perceive as a foul—I’ll put my team in a better chance to win.”
The Knicks’ defensive deficiencies are especially troublesome against a team as talented offensively as the Pacers. Indiana ranked third in the NBA this season in field goal percentage (.488) and has been even better in the first four games of this series (.497). The biggest reason why Indiana’s offense has been unstoppable is Tyrese Haliburton. He followed up his clutch performance in Game 1 with a pair of quiet games, but he was back to his heroic self in Game 4, posting a preposterous stat line of 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and no turnovers. He’s just the second player in NBA history to have a 30-point triple-double in the playoffs with no turnovers, joining Baron Davis in 2002.
The Knicks will have to win on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden to save their season, but there’s little reason to believe that they will be able to win three straight and win the series. The Pacers have shown over the first four games that they’re the better team on both ends of the floor.
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The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. This pair of clutch buckets by Pascal Siakam late in the fourth quarter.
4. Christian Yelich’s walk-off grand slam.
3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s perfect pass to Corey Perry for what ended up being the game-winning goal. The Oilers now hold a 3–1 lead over the Stars.
2. Shohei Ohtani’s MLB-leading 20th homer of the season.
1. Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón’s Derek Jeter-like throw.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | The Knicks’ Defense Is Dooming Them.
