Five takeaways from Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals

1. Road games do not faze the Pacers

Game 2 was Indiana's sixth straight road win in these playoffs and their third straight playoff win over the New York Knicks in their home building. 

During the regular season, the Pacers were an ordinary road team, going 21-20 away from Indianapolis. Something happens to this team in a playoff environment, where they are now 6-1 on the road in the playoffs. It may be Haliburton, who seems to thrive on not just silencing road crowds but antagonizing them with celebrations, whether it's doing Damian Lillard's "Dame Time" celebration back to him or doing his own version of Reggie Miller's choke sign.

The Knicks may have blown home-court advantage, but they do have one thing going for them. They're 5-1 on the road in the playoffs so far themselves.

2. Pascal Siakam is an underrated star

Pascal Siakam is a three-time All-Star and two-time member of the All-NBA team, but he's been a consistently excellent player since his third NBA season in 2018-19, when he won the Most Improved Player Award and an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors.

Siakam was stuck on a Toronto Raptors team that kept losing stars while refusing to rebuild until Toronto traded him to the Pacers at midseason last year. He's transformed the team into a contender, and his best game so far was Friday's 39-point effort, on 15-of-23 shooting.

The Knicks' wing defenders were too small to stop Siakam, and their big men weren't fast enough to stop him. Part of the reason Siakam isn't a bigger star is that he doesn't force shots and is happy to defer to teammates, but when his team needs him and the lights are shining brightest, "Spicy P" can get all the buckets they need.

3. Jalen Brunson almost saved the Knicks again

Jalen Brunson scored 10 of his 36 points in the final 7:11, and got the Knicks within a point with five straight points and an assist to Josh Hart in the last two minutes.

Brunson went 5-of-12 from three-point range, while his teammates were 6-of-20 from distance. Brunson had 11 assists, while the rest of his teammates combined for seven. When Brunson rested for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Knicks shot 1-for-5 with two turnovers, and the Pacers went on a 13-4 run before Brunson returned.

He could have used some consistent help. Mikal Bridges scored 17 points in the second half, but only three in the first. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 points in the second quarter and only two in the fourth. Brunson was ready to win the game for New York in crunch time, but they simply couldn't stay close enough before then.

4. The Pacers can't handle Mitchell Robinson

The Knicks' backup center missed most of the season, but he's been improving as the playoffs continue. Mitchell Robinson blocked three shots, grabbed nine rebounds (four offensive) and scored six points, changing the game when he entered in the first quarter. The Knicks were trailing by 10 points, then went on a 10-0 run and closed the quarter with a two-point lead, thanks to a late Robinson tip shot.

Just as he did against the Boston Celtics, Robinson transforms the Knicks defense with his length and shot-blocking ability. The Knicks may want to find more chances for Robinson to play alongside Towns, despite the speed and explosive scoring of the Pacers, because he's essentially played Indiana backup center Thomas Bryant off the floor and helped the Knicks dominate the boards.

5. Indiana's backup point guards were their secret weapons

The Pacers' reserves outscored the Knicks' reserves, 21-11, even though the Knicks got solid minutes from Robinson and Miles McBride. While Bryant struggled, Obi Toppin was ineffective and bench scorer Bennedict Mathurin was scoreless in 12 minutes, T.J. McConnell and Ben Sheppard were great.

McConnell regularly drove into the heart of the Knicks defense, scoring 10 points and delivering four assists with one turnover.

Sheppard made two three-pointers, while he and McConnell combined for four fourth-quarter assists, more than the entire Knicks team in the last quarter.

The bench players deserve a lot of credit, as does Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, for mixing and matching his reserves efficiently. He got eight quality minutes from third-string center Tony Bradley, stuck with backups early in the fourth to keep his starters fresh and didn't hesitate to sit Mathurin the whole second half.

The Knicks had two solid bench players, but the Pacers overwhelmed them with so many solid bench players. Indiana now has a 2-0 lead, and they're the more rested team. It's a nice position to be in heading home.