INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday night, the Knicks either take a giant step toward South Beach by forcing a Game 7 at the Garden or their season is over.
The Knicks didn’t break their 40-year championship drought Thursday night in a season-saving 85-75 victory, but coach Mike Woodson may have found the formula to beat Indiana and zoom into the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami.
Woodson discovered a new second-half rotation that lacks Jason Kidd and a rusty Amar’e Stoudemire with rookie scoring ace Chris Copeland and point guard Pablo Prigioni taking their places. It spread the floor and made the Knicks look like themselves again.
Perhaps the basketball gods are finally smiling on this cursed franchise as the Knicks try to become only the ninth team to ever rally back from a 3-1 hole.
The status of Pacers point guard George Hill for tonight’s Game 6 or Monday’s Game 7 is a mystery, potentially a big break for the Knicks. Hill suffered a concussion and missed Game 5, and his availability is complicated by being forced to take tests under the NBA’s new concussion policy before being cleared.
The Knicks trail the Pacers 3-2 in this best-of-seven series, and are 0-4 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season.
“We’ve got to validate what we did [Thursday] night,’’ Woodson said Friday. “That was a must win. Our backs were against the wall and still is. We lost Game 1 [at home]. We knew right then and there the only way to get out of this series is you’ve got to go get a game in Indiana and this is our last chance.’’
Carmelo Anthony, who didn’t have a field goal in the fourth quarter in either of the two losses at Indiana, played solid late in Game 5. He scored 28 points and looked more like himself, as did J.R. Smith, active on both ends even if his shot-making isn’t all the way back.
“We are trying to get a huge win on the road,’’ Anthony said. “We have proven we can win on the road but it’s a matter of who wants it. Indiana is definitely a tough place to win, but we feel like we have an opportunity to do something special.’’
Woodson said he’s sticking with what worked in Game 5 — politics and salaries be damned.
“Those two guys just got to be ready to play,’’ Woodson said of Kidd and Stoudemire. “At this point, it’s about winning. We played a different rotation [Thursday]. It worked. We’ll look at that rotation again. We won the game. And that’s all that should matter.’’
Woodson admitted he was a confused coach during the two losses in Indy.
“We did a lot of mixing and matching trying to find combinations,’’ he said. “The [expletive] didn’t work.’’
The Pacers’ offense was a wreck Thursday, partly because Hill, who has been excellent this series, wasn’t running the show. The Pacers aren’t deep at point guard and D.J. Augustin was overwhelmed. Lance Stephenson occasionally handled the ball as did Paul George.
The Knicks’ pressure on the ball had its effect. The Pacers shot 36.2 percent and committed 19 turnovers.
“We’ve been doing that all year,’’ Woodson said of the defensive pressure. “That’s nothing new. We’re one of better teams in the league in forcing turnovers. We have to continue to keep pressure up the floor with or without [Hill]. We’re preparing like he’s going to play.’’
After being out of the rotation mostly since Game 1 against Boston, Copeland played 19:25 in Game 5, scoring 13 points and draining 3-of-4 3-pointers. He’s a weapon Woodson can no longer ignore and Stoudemire is a risk the coach can no longer take. He still needs to shed more rust.
ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy told The Post recently Stoudemire is a very good player, but the question is would he be a very good fit? In this series, the answer is no. Stoudemire is not rebounding enough or being efficient in the low-post. Copeland even secured four rebounds Thursday.
“He helped out a lot in terms of spacing and being able to be a shotmaker,’’ Woodson said of Copeland.
Smith was his vibrant self — either spurred by a post-practice talk with John Starks or a message on Instagram from Rihanna that alleged his playoff downfall is because of him being “hung over.’’ Smith had an efficient 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block.
“There’s no question he can do a lot more, [but] I thought he took a positive step forward without a doubt,’’ Woodson said. “He was much more alert, really ready to play. He made plays early. He was a big part of us winning that game. He made a very positive step forward.’’
As the Knicks can again Saturday night.
marc.berman@nypost.com