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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — When the Indiana Pacers were down 2-0 in their series against the New York Knicks, coach Rick Carlisle challenged the officiating. Facing elimination in Friday’s Game 6, he directly challenged his players.
After losing Game 5 in New York by 30 points, Carlisle challenged his team to improve their aggression, focus, and technique. He then subjected them to a grueling video session Thursday, reviewing multiple scenes of the Knicks beating the Pacers on loose balls in a humiliating blowout loss.
The veteran coach got a strong response from his young team, and the Pacers came from behind at almost every turn to win Game 6, 116-103, to tie the series at 3-3 and advance to Game 7 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. It was time for a battle.
After losing Game 5 by 24 points in a rebound battle, the Pacers won Game 6 by 12 points. In Game 5, he turned the ball over a whopping 18 times, and then in Game 6, the Pacers had just nine turnovers. After losing by 26 points in the paint in Game 5, the Pacers outscored the Knicks by 24 points in Game 6.
“The coaches challenged our efforts, and I think that was the biggest thing,” said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had 15 points and nine assists. “Some extraordinary things have happened. [in Game 5]. …he just really challenged our group [players] 1-15 on how to do better. ”
For the Knicks, the focus after the loss wasn’t just on the upcoming Game 7, but on the all-around valuable player who suffered an abdominal injury while trying to get a rebound in the first quarter on Friday night and fought through the game until the end. It was also directed at player Josh Hart. It will appear in the fourth quarter. He had eight rebounds and still played nearly 40 minutes, but he didn’t have his usual impact.
Hart, who at one point played 144 straight minutes in the series, alarmed his teammates when he had to be removed from the game twice to have a stretch and heating pad placed on the left side of his abdomen. Knicks trainers placed a web of kinesio tape under his uniform to try to give him some peace of mind.
Knicks manager Tom Thibodeau did not provide a postgame update on Hart, who left the game without speaking to reporters. But his Knicks teammates said they expected him to play despite the difficult conditions Sunday afternoon.
“I think he’s going to play,” Knicks star Jalen Brunson said. “It’s Game 7.”
“It’s not a good sign for him to ask you out, but I think he’ll bounce back,” Miles McBride said.
“Knowing him, he would do anything to play,” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “If his foot doesn’t drop, he’ll make any play.”
How well Hart can play is another question.
The Pacers could see that Hart was struggling and not being his active self. The Pacers went after Hurts defensively with their size, as the Knicks were already playing small, missing three forwards and a center due to injury. According to ESPN Stats Tracker, Indiana shot 14-of-20 against Hart when he was the primary defender, which is a significant departure from his usual style.
Forward Pascal Siakam, who scored 25 points in his best game of the series, and center Myles Turner, who had 17 points, were among the attackers against Hart and the other Knicks interior defenders.
“It was just an activity. We played harder tonight, which was a must,” Carlisle said. “We moved the ball better and got more rebounds, which is obviously a big key in the series.”
Throughout the past two weeks, much of the competition and strategy between the teams has revolved around Brunson. The series was largely characterized by back-and-forth, with the Pacers changing defenders and making schemes against the Knicks, revealing wrinkles and lineup changes.
Aaron Nesmith, who has been the main man for the last four games, continued to be more aggressive on and around screens than he was in Game 5, when the Knicks were able to break Brunson out of control multiple times. On Friday, Brunson didn’t have much space, especially early in the game, and even when he had a good look, it ended up being a misfire.
Brunson made his first two shots in the first quarter but missed his next 11. Those 2-of-13 shots were his worst in half of his playoff career.
He bounced back in the second half and was able to get free from Nesmith, scoring 26 of 31 points and making 9 of 13 shots, but the Knicks were already down by more than 20 points by the time he entered the game. .
Brunson was joined by Pacers reserve guard TJ McConnell, who had 15 points off the bench.
“They’re trying to make things difficult,” Brunson said. “And I have to adjust, too. I have to give different expressions and read them better.”
But the Pacers didn’t think Brunson figured anything out. He already has two 40-point games at home this series, and most of the Pacers’ key players will be playing in Game 7 for the first time.
“We have to brace ourselves for Sunday. We know the effort.” [Brunson] “It’s going to happen on Sunday, and we have to be ready,” Carlisle said.
