The New York Knicks looked like a dominant team after going up 3-0 on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference, but after dropping two straight games in that series the team has looked ordinary as they get ready for Game 6 against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
The team was down 3-1 in the series and won Game 5 to stay alive 85-75 after 28 points from Carmelo Anthony, who the Knicks will be relying on heavily as they try to force a Game 7 at home at Madison Square Garden. The Pacers looked like they would be able to close things out and despite having a 3-2 lead they are the ones with the pressure, as George Hill is a gametime decision to play. The team got a solid game from Paul George with 23 points and six assists in Game 5 with 10 rebounds from David West, but the team couldn't score enough and fell to the Knicks.
The Knicks needed a big game from Carmelo Anthony with 28 points, while Tyson Chandler added eight rebounds and Raymond Felton led the team with four assists. The Knicks have played much better at home than on the road all season and they have yet to win a game in Indiana all year even in the regular season. The team will need to do that one Saturday night and they will do it and if they can force a Game 7 there is a good chance they will be favored to win.
The team took advantage of Roy Hibbert's foul trouble and now the Pacers might be down another player in Hill, who could be out of the game on Saturday night after dealing with a concussion in Game 4 after scoring 26 points when he banged into Tyson Chandler in the first and he later was diagnosed with a concussion and after missing Game 5 he could be out again. DJ Augustin was solid in his absence while playing 39 points but he had zero assists and that could be a big factor for the Knicks.
The Knicks were expected to be the ones challenging the Heat in the conference finals after coming in as the second and after getting 13 points from JR Smith and Chris Copeland, the team looks ready to step up and win again. NY would be the ninth team to make a comeback from 3-1 down and their first step is their first win in Indiana all season on Saturday night.