Historic offensive night for Indiana Pacers leads to historic Game 7 win over New York Knicks

NEW YORK — With 4:59 left in Game 7 of the Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks second-round series, John Starks finally sat down.

The legendary Knicks guard, who played for the franchise for eight seasons in the 1990s and was a part of a New York group that reached the Conference Finals twice, sat courtside for much of the Pacers-Knicks series. He was active throughout games, cheering at the high points and agonizing at the low moments. At times, his sneakers were nearly on the playing field, and he helped Knicks players stand up faster and get back in transition for defense on more than one occasion.

His heart beat with his former team. Yet in Game 7, with just under five minutes to go, he sat down and gave up. The Pacers had killed Starks spirit, and they had killed the Knicks.

At that time, Indiana’s star flipped in two more points. Tyrese Haliburton, who answered every question asked about him during the series, dropped in a finger roll at that time to put the blue and gold up by 16. For Haliburton, it was his 26th and final points of the night. It thwarted a 10-4 Knicks run and officially put the game away. Starks knew it was over. The entire Madison Square Garden crowd knew it was over. Indiana was going to win Game 7 and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I just told our team, when you win a Game 7 in Madison Square Garden, you’ve made history,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said proudly after the game. “It’s very, very difficult to do.”

The win itself was historic, as Carlisle noted. The final score was 130-109. It was a blowout. It was never close thanks to the Pacers terrific offense, which has carried them for much of the season. The hobbled Knicks stood no chance.

Indiana started the outing hot, making 20 of their first 25 shots. They went up by 15 in the first quarter and led by 18 with 9:19 to go in the second period. At that time, there was a stoppage — and that timeout featured a routine from the Knicks City Dancers. In Games 1, 2, and 5 of the series, that was a thrilling moment for the New York crowd. They watched with excited eyes, singing along to the music and clapping at the conclusion of the performance. Sunday afternoon was the opposite. Knicks fans eyed the entertainment in stunned silence. Once the music stopped, the Garden was as quiet as it had been all series long. Nobody could stop the Pacers, and the observers were stunned.

“We have a historic offense,” Pacers center Myles Turner said after the win. “This is what we’ve been doing all season long, and we were able to show it on the biggest stage.”

Beyond the meaningful result, the Pacers made history with their play. To silence a fanbase as passionate as the Knicks — and they certainly were re-invested in the game at times as it progressed — the blue and gold had to play an unbelievable game. And they did, in just about every way.

That hot shooting from the start of the game never faded away. Indiana opened the duel 10/11 from the field, and many of the shots were difficult yet makeable. The Knicks hit 20 shots in the first half while the Pacers made their 20th shot with about nine minutes to go in the second quarter. New York had a lead for about 2.5 minutes to open the game, then the Pacers buried them in an avalanche of jump shots for 45 minutes.

“We got a good number of stops… when we got stops and rebounds, we can score,” Carlisle said. He believed that rebounding and hustle to loose balls helped his team get going on the offensive end.

The second half was a little different. Instead of shooting 76.3%, the Pacers shot… 58.5%, which is literally worse but is still terrific for an entire half. The Knicks made one push and cut the deficit to six early in the third period, but Indiana was up by 14 points just 2.5 minutes later. Even New York’s best punch wasn’t enough to knock the Pacers down. It barely made them flinch.

Indiana never regressed. They got whatever shot they wanted in the final game of the series. They sucked the life out of John Starks and the rest of Madison Square Garden. The crowd celebrated their favorite players, giving Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart huge cheers as they exited the floor for the final time of the season. Those two, among many Knicks players, gave it their all this series. But it wasn’t enough in Game 7 with the Pacers on fire from everywhere on the court.

The Pacers walked off the hardwood after winning and showing their respect for the Knicks, who pushed them for seven games. They went back to their locker room, which is tucked back off of the court and sits a healthy distance away from the nearest restroom. Yet from just outside that restroom, the elated Pacers could be heard clearly breaking down a huddle in the locker room with a “1, 2, 3, Pacers!” They had reasons to celebrate. They just made history.

“To come into this environment and be able to keep the fans out of the game, that’s unheard of,” Turner said. And yet, the Pacers did it. They played their way and emerged as the victors for the second-straight round.

It’s now time for the Eastern Conference Finals for the blue and gold. They’ll battle the Boston Celtics, the best team in the NBA during the regular season. Indiana was one of four teams to beat the Celtics twice during the regular season. Boston was one of two teams that beat the Pacers three times in the regular season. They both found some success against each other, and that could augur an intense series.

The sixth-seeded Pacers earned the right to take a part in that duel thanks to their unprecedented Game 7 performance. They shot 53/79 — 67.1%, an NBA playoff record — from the field to overwhelm the Knicks. They entered the record books and history books on the same night.

Their performance forced John Starks to slump over in his chair. The Pacers, meanwhile, were all standing as they rose to the occasion and got it done in Madison Square Garden.