The Pacers were one of nine teams to win 30 games or more at home this season and just two teams — the Nets and Raptors — were able to go into Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and come away with more than one win.
So, as the Knicks try to win in Indianapolis tonight for the first time this season and force a Game 7 Monday at the Garden, here are some things they could learn from their cross-town rivals:
Try and match them on the boards
This is easier said than done for the Knicks, one of the league’s weaker rebounding teams going up against one of the best. In the two games the Nets won in Indianapolis, they outrebounded the Pacers by four in one game and were outrebounded by one in the other.
By comparison, the Knicks were outrebounded by 12 and 18, respectively, in Games 3 and 4 in this series. The Knicks need that rebounding margin to be much closer to where it was in Game 5, when Indiana only outrebounded the Knicks by three, and by just two on the offensive glass, to emerge with a win.
Make their 3-pointers
The Knicks have made their living all season by knocking down 3-point shots, but saw their long-range shooting fail them in Games 3 and 4, shooting a combined 11-for-39 (28.2 percent).
The 3-point shot was a crucial weapon for the Nets in their two wins in Indianapolis, because it opened up the floor and made the Pacers’ league-leading defense work that much harder. In the two wins, the Nets went 16-for-37 (43.2 percent) from behind the arc.
Attack the rim and get to the line
The Nets also were able to convert against the Pacers’ stingy defense by attacking the rim and getting to the foul line. There are two tangible benefits to this. One, it allows for easy points at the free-throw line, and considering its strength, scoring in any fashion against the Pacers defense is important.
Attacking the rim also can get Indiana’s vaunted starting five in foul trouble, causing its sub-par bench to be exposed while playing too many minutes. In the Nets’ two wins, they shot 58 free throws compared with 44 for the Pacers, and were able to get Lance Stephenson to foul out in one game and Paul George in another.
No Pacers fouled out in either of the two games in Indianapolis in this series, and Indiana shot 53 foul shots compared to 39 for the Knicks.