Knicks Must Avoid Pacers' Game 4 Trap

The Indiana Pacers have the best winning percentage of all playoff teams. They've won 10 of the 13 games they've played, posting a 76.9% winning rate heading into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The New York Knicks, having just given themselves a chance at surviving by pulling through for a 106-100 win to cut the series lead to 2-1, have to learn from the fallen eastern teams before them. The only games the Pacers have lost all playoffs have occurred in Game 3 situations, as they've taken quick 2-0 advantages in three consecutive matchups before going undefeated in closeout situations.

The Cleveland Cavaliers provide a good parallel for the Knicks' current situation. They were much more favored to take the series than the Knicks were, having entered the second round as the #1 seed in the east and cleanly sweeping the Miami Heat in meeting the Pacers.

They, too, lost both of the first two games of the series as the home team, including their own version of a scrambling Tyrese Haliburton dagger to cap off a last-minute collapse.