Pacers Can Win Game 4 Due to Major Habit of Knicks HC

The Indiana Pacers blew a 20-point lead to the New York Knicks in Game 3. It was a disappointing loss, but not necessarily an unexpected one.

That was a very desperate Knicks team that the Pacers faced. They likely got their best shot, and it was clear that New York was running out of moves based on the changes that they made.

Tom Thobdeau decided to change the starting lineup, putting Mitchell Robinson in for Josh Hart. While that wasn't the biggest change that the Knicks made, it was perhaps the most notable to start the game.

Thibodeau also played some guys from his bench who haven't seen much playing time in the playoffs at all. Both Delon Wright and Landry Shamet got minutes in this game.

It's unlikely that Thibs will keep that going for the rest of the series. Thibs has a habit of riding his starters for heavy minutes, especially when the playoffs roll around.

Indiana certainly has to be ready in case Thibs does go back to those bench minutes, but it's unlikely that those players have earned his trust enough to get serious minutes again.

The Pacers also missed a lot of threes in Game 3, only shooting 5-25 from beyond the arc. For the best shooting team in the playoffs, that's by far the worst performance they have had in the postseason.

It's highly unlikely that the Pacers will shoot that poorly from outside the arc again. They are too good to have two bad games in a row from deep.

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Indiana will have to shoot the ball better from outside and keep their offense moving. They played too slowly in the second half of Game 3, which is another big reason why they blew the lead.

When the Pacers are out in transition and running on offense, no team can stop them. Tyrese Haliburton has to make a concerted effort to shoot the ball more and make sure that this team runs after every Knicks shot.

This has turned into a must-win for the Pacers. They need to close the Knicks out emotionally.

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