Pacers Lost Major Advantage vs Knicks in Game 3 Meltdown

The Indiana Pacers lost Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals after having a big lead during the second quarter and there is a key reason why the team lost that the head coach discovered.

The Pacers looked poised to secure the dagger in the hopes of the Knicks, though they struggled to close out the game and now face an inspired Knicks team on Monday.

After the crucial loss, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle reflected on the game and found a disturbing trend in the team's performance.

“I do know that when we started building a lead, and the crowd got into it, things got a little crazy,” Carlisle told David Aldridge of The Athletic.

“We had some back-and-forth, kind of nutty plays, with some turnovers and stuff like that. So much of playoff basketball is doing the basics really well. And in those instances, being able to keep a level of poise, along with aggression. I’ll look closer at it (later Sunday night), but clearly, we didn’t do well enough in that area.”

The Pacers were on track to secure a blowout win, though the Knicks completely flipped the script, rallying with the help of Karl Anthony Towns.