The Indiana Pacers have been the biggest surprise in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Since they started the postseason, the Pacers have been the underdogs who have proven the doubters wrong. In the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks, they have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. In Game 3, they’ll try and win three games in a row to have the upper hand.
For the Knicks, their star guard, Jalen Brunson, has done everything he could to try and lead them past the Pacers. Through two games, Brunson has averaged 39.5 points and eight assists on 53.8 percent shooting from the field. However, that hasn’t been enough.
Brunson is the team’s main star and also their No. 1 option. While he’s been aggressive on offense, Indiana remains at the top of their series.
On a recent episode of the podcast “Club 520,” hosted by former Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague, Brunson received criticism. The one-time All-Star had something to say about the Knicks guard holding the ball too much.
“You know how the Knicks lose these games?” Teague said. “Jalen Brunson holds the ball for — the shot clock is 24 seconds, he’s holding that b***h for 17.
“Trying to get a pick and roll, bring another dude, bring another dude. I’m going one on one. If he don’t make it, it’s like f**k.
“It’s the way he hold the ball, they don’t get no rhythm. That’s why, when he comes out the game, all of a sudden, the pace pick up, the tempo pick up, you see people start hopping a little bit — he hold the ball so long,” he added. “He’s a great player, hell of a player. He makes tough shots, does all that. But he hold it for 18 seconds and they get one attempt.”
In these playoffs, Brunson is in the top 10 when it comes to usage rate. Without another shot creator for the Knicks, the All-Star guard has to do a lot offensively.
The Indiana Pacers’ tempo has been a disadvantage for the Knicks
The Indiana Pacers play a fast-paced offense, which has been a problem for the Knicks’ center, Mitchell Robinson. Chris Herring of ESPN reported that Robinson can’t keep up with the Pacers’ tempo, which has been one of the main struggles for New York.
For Game 3, the Knicks put Robinson at the starting center spot and Josh Hart will come off the bench.“The Knicks, now desperate and in a 2-0 series hole, had a fantastic thing going with backup center Mitchell Robinson early,” Herring writes.
“But Game 2 indicated that there might be limitations on how much he can keep up with the pace in this series….But more than anything, it might be the Pacers’ unrelenting tempo that’s tough for him in this series, one that the Knicks desperately need him for.”
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