Six in the City: Knicks Realize Importance of Game 6 Clinch

Seven is anything but Heaven for the New York Knicks.

New York has two chances to win one vital game, as the team is one step away from its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000 thanks to a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers in the semis. The first opportunity lands on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) with a questionable series finale scheduled for Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau appears to be well-aware of the value of ending the Pacer series as soon as possible.

“We know how talented a team (the Pacers) are,” Thibodeau said in video from SNY. “I think the important thing is not to get lost in all the hyperbole and distractions and lock into winning the game, just focus on the task at hand, which is to win the game. Don’t get sidetracked, just lock in, and that’s the one thing I think this team has done well. Put the necessary work that goes into winning into it and don’t get lost. Just stay focused.”

With a 121-91 blowout win in Game 5 on Tuesday, the Knicks guaranteed themselves at least one more game at MSG. Everyone in New York is hoping that it’ll be Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.

A combination of the Celtics’ dispatching of Cleveland and lengthy matchups on the Western Conference bracket has placed the ECF opening on Tuesday night in Boston. A team like the Knicks could use all the rest it can get considering its dwindling rotation that includes the lingering doubt over OG Anunoby’s participation.

Point guard Jalen Brunson, who missed all of the second period of Game 2 with a foot issue, has insisted on his health, and it was certainly hard to deny it after his 44-point output on Tuesday. The Knicks’ franchise face, however, at least somewhat hinted that he took advantage of an extra day off in the ongoing duel with the Pacers.

“Whenever you can get rest, whatever the situation is, it’s great,” Brunson said, per SNY. “But I for sure am ready to play and ready to go. It should be a great game, a great test for us, and we’re ready.”

Early advancement will require the Knicks to buck some dangerous trends: Indiana has won 10 in a row at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, including a blowout of their own in Game 4. The Knicks have fallen behind in each of the two games held in Indianapolis, though Game 3 required late heroics from Andrew Nembhard for the Pacers to escape with a win.

Josh Hart noted how important it will be for the Knicks to get off to a strong start as they inch toward the end.

“Is it fair to say (we want a good start)? Yeah. Do we do a good job of that? No,” Hart said, containing a smirk. “That’s definitely something we’ve struggled with this year in terms of giving that first punch … I think only one game of the Philly series we started the first quarter off strong with a lead, so that’s something we’ve got to make sure we do. Even last game, I think they started off like 12-4, or whatever it was.”

“It’s not anything to keep their crowd out of it or anything like, we just have to do that for ourselves.”

Ironically enough, the Knicks have not partaken in a Game 7 since the last time they reached the ECF in 2000, when they took down the Miami Heat to face the eventual conference champion Pacers.

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