NBA playoffs: Can Knicks and Wolves fight back in Game 5s? Who’s the Postseason MVP?

What to make of the second round of the NBA playoffs with all four series now four games in — and three series tied 2-2? And which player has been the Postseason MVP through the first three weeks of the playoffs? Our NBA crew shares their takes on the conference semifinals ahead of pivotal Game 5s.

Knicks-Pacers is _______.

Dan Devine:Exhausting. Down three starters and a top reserve, New York is leaning as hard as possible on its top four: Jalen Brunson, playing through a foot injury; Isaiah Hartenstein, playing through a banged-up shoulder; and Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who needed to be down by 40 to get a breather. The overall effect evokes the closing stages of a Depression-era dance marathon … and there’s Tyrese Haliburton, turning big-band into Buddy Rich, sprinting to the second round’s fastest average time-to-shot and top transition offense. Do the Knicks have the horses to finish this race, at this pace? They shoot horses, don’t they?

Jake Fischer: A war of attrition. We’ve highlighted New York’s running tab of injuries on the Ball Don’t Lie podcast plenty. Will New York have enough healthy bodies to hold off Tyrese Haliburton and Co. is more of a question than if they can.

Vincent Goodwill: Bodies, bodies, bodies. I know that’s a Damson Idris line in a whole different context, but the Knicks don’t have the bodies to look anything like a full version of themselves. They’ll be asking Dan Devine for his jersey size and shoe size before it’s over. And it feels like Tyrese and the confident Pacers will take full advantage.

Ben Rohrbach: A sacrifice. I’m not even sure Jalen Brunson would (should?) be playing if everyone were healthy, much less playing 40+ minutes a night. The OG Anunoby injury would be a death knell for any other team, but with these Knicks, you get the feeling the next man up is a way of life, not a platitude. On the other side, outside of Game 4, which might have been a bridge too far for New York, Indiana is fighting for its life against a depleted roster. You get the sense that whoever wins will be the lamb to a slaughter in Boston.

Jamal Murray and the…


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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-05-14 15:56:00

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