The Eastern Conference Finals could come down to a simple numbers game.
Indiana plays 11. New York leans on seven. And how the Knicks compensate for that gap in rotation depth may very well determine whether they reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 — or fall just short, again.
“[We have to] control what we can control. Whatever happens, happens,” Knicks captain Jalen Brunson said after practice Monday in Tarrytown. “I have the utmost faith in our guys — regardless of how many we play or don’t play. [It] doesn’t matter to me.”
So far, it’s been a seven-man march. Every Knicks starter is averaging at least 35.7 minutes per game. Karl-Anthony Towns has logged the fewest of the group. OG Anunoby leads at 40 per night, with Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges in between. Off the bench, only Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson have played consistent roles, each averaging roughly 20 minutes. Cameron Payne, third off the bench. is the only other player to appear in all 12 postseason games — and he’s averaged under seven minutes per outing.
Indiana, by contrast, stretches the floor — and its rotation. All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton averages 34 minutes. His fellow starters — Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith — range from 29 to 33. And the Pacers have options.
Bennedict Mathurin. T.J. McConnell. Obi Toppin. Ben Sheppard. Jarace Walker. Thomas Bryant. Six more contributors Rick Carlisle trusts on any given night. Nine Pacers have appeared in all 10 playoff games. Mathurin, sidelined briefly by injury, has played in nine.
It’s the depth Indiana thrives on — and the challenge the Knicks have to meet.
“I think that’s one of their strengths,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said Monday. “We have to understand who’s coming in, what they do well, and be ready to match up with all of them. That’s what goes into winning — preparation, knowing their personnel, and knowing your own strengths and weaknesses.”
Indiana rotates fresh legs to keep their tempo relentless. They run after makes. They run after misses. They aim to wear teams down. The Knicks, built around continuity and stamina, are used to logging heavy minutes — but few teams push pace quite like the Pacers.
“We just have to trust each other, communicate at a high level,” Hart said. “And when guys are tired, we’ve got to be honest and ask for a sub. Just trust our body.”
Thibodeau believes that trust — and that workload — has been forged over time. His rotation was tight all season for a reason: so that when the postseason demanded it, they’d be ready.
“I can’t speak for them. They have to do what’s best for their team,” he said of Indiana. “I felt like what we did was best for ours. You condition yourself for what you want your body to do — and our guys have prepared themselves for that.”
No Revenge Tour
Hart isn’t buying into the revenge narrative surrounding the Knicks’ second-round rematch with the Pacers — even if Indiana sent New York packing in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden last postseason. His reasoning? That team no longer exists.
“Another year, another series. Y’all can write whatever y’all want, make it into a revenge thing or something like that,” Hart said after practice on Monday. “Half the team didn’t play last year. [Julius Randle] and Donte [DiVincenzo] aren’t here anymore. [Isaiah Hartenstein] isn’t here. We’ve got KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], Mikal [Bridges], OG [Anunoby] was hurt — it’s just a totally different team, totally different situation, totally different round of the playoffs.”
The focus, he says, is forward.
“We just gotta make sure we’re ready,” said Hart. “That’s an extremely talented team whose offense is clicking on all cylinders right now. Nothing about revenge — it’s just about the next series.”
Turner’s Trash Talk? Noted, But Not Personal
After the Pacers eliminated the Knicks last season, Myles Turner went viral for parading through New York City and taunting Knicks fans. Did it bother Hart?
“Did it bother me? At the end of the day, if you win, you can really do what you want,” he said. “I think everybody embraces being in that spotlight differently. If that’s how they want to do it, cool.
“But for me? Obviously, it was a tough series for us physically — especially that Game 7. I was hurt and couldn’t play how I wanted to. But I know I gave everything I possibly could’ve given.”
Brunson Still Feels the Sting
Brunson said the pain of last year’s loss to Indiana still lingers.
“I mean, it still kind of bothers me,” he admitted. “But once you get into the season, you start thinking about the next game. Obviously, it was a missed opportunity — playing them at home in Game 7, regardless of who we had out there.”
And what part of that loss sticks with him most? He raised an eyebrow at the thought of the question.
“That we lost?” he said flatly.
