Denver coach Michael Malone calls them “the two greatest words in sports.” The NBA has two of them Sunday, and all four teams — the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Knicks and Pacers — have experienced both ends of blowouts in their otherwise scintillating semifinal series. In the East, Indiana prevailed by 32 points in Game 4 only to watch New York return the favor with a 30-point shellacking in Game 5.
The Indiana Pacers put on a shooting clinic to throttle the New York Knicks 130-109 on Sunday and book an NBA Eastern Conference finals showdown with the top-seeded Boston Celtics.The Knicks, chasing a first Eastern Conference finals berth since 2000, hurt their own cause with two costly turnovers on inbounds plays and the Pacers quickly pushed the lead back to 19 points.
It’s easy to wonder how New York would have fared with a healthier roster. It’s a frustrating sentiment the Knicks will take into the offseason.
No. | Player | Pos |
---|---|---|
5 | PF | |
8 | SF | |
44 | SF | |
4 | SG | |
11 | PG | |
18 | SG | |
0 | SG | |
25 | PF | |
3 | SG | |
55 | C | |
8 | SG | |
2 | PG | |
13 | SG | |
30 | PF | |
23 | C | |
45 | C | |
00 | SF | |
1 | SG |