On to the second round of the NBA Playoffs and we will see the Indiana Pacers take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on ABC. Currently the Odds for the game have New York favored by 5.5 points while the total sits at 183.
Analysis: The Indiana Pacers were having trouble winning on the road against the Hawks until they had an opportunity to close out the series. In Game 6, the Pacers showed up to play and won their first game in Atlanta since 2006. Indiana snapped a 13-game losing streak in Atlanta in Game 6 and brought out its good defense for the final two games of the series. After allowing the Hawks to shoot 44 percent or better in the first four games, the Pacers stifled them in the final two. That included a first half in which Indiana held Atlanta to 29 points on Friday. The Pacers have plenty of options offensively and leaned on George for most of the series with the Hawks. The All-Star forward struggled in Game 6 but West and George Hill were there to pick up the slack with 21 points apiece. Indiana enjoyed a huge advantage on the glass against Atlanta, outrebounding the Hawks 104-63 in the final two games of the series, but could be forced further out of the paint against a New York team that likes to shoot 3-pointers.
The New York Knicks held off one strong defensive team to advance past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2000. Carmelo Anthony snapped out of a shooting funk at precisely the right moment on Friday, ending a string of 19 straight misses from 3-point range with a dagger in the final minutes that staved off a late Boston surge. Anthony had a brutal series shooting the ball against the Celtics but came through with two big buckets down the stretch in Game 6. Anthony shot 30.5 percent from the field, including 1-for-18 from 3-point range, over the final three games of the series and told reporters that he felt his left arm popping “in and out” of his shoulder in the fourth quarter of Game 6. The star forward will play in Game 1 but New York could choose to use a bigger lineup in part to keep that shoulder away from West in the paint. A bigger unit would mean playing Kenyon Martin alongside Tyson Chandler, who finally declared himself 100 percent healthy in Game 6. The Knicks also have Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) trying to work his way back, though his return at any point in the series is uncertain. New York held the Celtics to an average of 82.3 points in round 1.
Pick: I like the Under in this game. The Knicks have yet to score more than 90 points in a playoff game this year and now they take on a better defensive squad that the Celtics were. The Pacers enter this game 2nd ins coring defense (90.7 ppg), 1st in defensive FG% (42%) and 1st in 3pt defense (32.7%), and on the road this year they have allowed just 91.3 ppg. The Pacers have allowed just 89.2 pg in their last 5 games, while the Knick offense has struggled to score, putting up just 88.2 ppg in their last 5. The Pacers rugged defense should be able to hold the Knicks to Under 90 points in this one. Defensively the Knicks were stellar vs Boston, allowing just 82.3 ppg in the series and that tough defense should carry over here vs an Indiana squad that pu up just 80.3 ppg in their 3 road games vs Atlanta in the playoffs, while for the year they average just 91 ppg away from home. Both teams play at a slow pace and that also mean less possessions for both. Both defenses are dominating right now and in a slow paced game that should keep this one in the low 170's at best.
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