Maybe you were iffy on Indiana. Maybe you shrugged at the first-round series win over a (mostly) Damian Lillard-less Bucks team. Maybe you dismissed the Cavaliers as flawed. Maybe you thought this superstar-less bunch that wins with a bench so deep you need a media guide to keep up could never make the Finals.
Well … do you believe now?
The Pacers have a commanding 2–0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals after edging the Knicks 114–109 in Game 2 on Friday. After a dramatic finish to Game 1, this one was more traditional. Seventeen lead changes. 17 times the game was tied. It was 81–81 at the start of the fourth quarter. A 33–28 run by Indiana provided the final margin.
“Much tighter game than the last one in a lot of ways,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “I thought our guys held their composure really well.”
In Game 1, Aaron Nesmith was the story. In Game 2, it was Pascal Siakam. Nesmith’s heroics came in the fourth quarter, connecting on six three-pointers (five in the final three minutes) to help Indiana force overtime. Siakam’s impact came in the first half. With Tyrese Haliburton struggling, Siakam racked up 23 of his 39 points in the first two quarters.
“That’s why we brought him here,” said Haliburton. “That’s what he’s here to do.”
Indeed. Since coming over in a trade from Toronto last season, Siakam has delivered. He averaged 21 points in 41 games with the Pacers last season. He averaged 20 points in 78 games in this one, earning Indiana’s lone All-Star nod. He struggled with the three last postseason, connecting 29.8% of his shots from beyond the arc. He’s at 41.7% in these playoffs—including 3-for-4 from three-point range on Friday night.
“Whatever was out there,” said Siakam, “I just took it.”
That’s Indiana. Anyone can beat you. From one to five. Or five to10. In Game 2, the Pacers went 11 deep, rolling out seldom used center Tony Bradley, who gave Indy eight solid minutes off the bench. Ben Sheppard was a bench-high plus-8, chipping in six points in 12 minutes.
“I think what makes us special as a team is we have different weapons,” said Siakam. “You’re not consumed with who is going to do what. We just go into the game and however the game presents itself, that’s how we’re going to take it. It doesn’t matter who scores.”
There’s no fear in Indiana. Few events can match the atmosphere of a playoff game in New York. Madison Square Garden is rocking. A title-starved fan base is rolling. Courtside seats are stuffed with celebs. Ben Stiller sits next to Timothée Chalamet who sits a few seats down from Michael J. Fox who sits opposite Michael Strahan. In most cities, halftime entertainment is Quick Change or the Red Panda. In New York, it’s Mary J. Blige.
There was energy in the building on Friday. Indiana matched it. The Pacers kept it close early, trailing by three at halftime. By the end of the third, it was tied. In the fourth, four Indiana players scored at least three points—led by Myles Turner’s 13—to put the game away.
“What’s really special about our group is we have so many different people contributing,” said Haliburton. “So many people doing special things.”
What a stretch it’s been for Haliburton. His shot was off in Game 2 (just 5-of-16 from the floor) but he collected 11 assists and finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double. On Thursday, Carlisle recalled the first conversation he had with Haliburton after Indiana acquired him from Sacramento in 2022.
“Told him that we were basically giving him the ball,” said Carlisle. “[I] asked him if he was comfortable running the team, making play calls whenever we needed to make play calls and all those kinds of things.”
Haliburton’s response?
“His eyes lit up,” said Carlisle. “He was really enthusiastic about that.”
Haliburton has rewarded Carlisle’s faith, while Indiana has pushed New York to the brink. The Knicks have won on the road before—they took two games in Boston last round—but this is a team in need of some soul searching. Karl-Anthony Towns was dreadful in Game 2. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Whatever. He was a team-worst minus-20. He played just five minutes in the fourth quarter, with Tom Thibodeau going with a physically drained Mitchell Robinson over Towns down the stretch. New York allowed Indiana to shoot 52% from the floor and 43% from three.
"We've got to make better plays,” said Thibodeau. “More winning plays."
Said Jalen Brunson: “The regroup starts tomorrow … collectively, we’ve got to get it together.”
That may not be enough. There’s no overconfidence in Indiana. “Day 3 of 13,” said Carlisle. “No one is getting ahead of themselves.” There was excitement to get home, to play Game 3 on Sunday just hours after the famed Indianapolis 500 wraps up down the road. “Going to be a rowdy crowd,” said Haliburton. “Maybe a little intoxicated. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
For fans. Not for the Pacers. Not yet, anyway. Inside the Indiana locker room on Friday, there was no celebration. A few cheers interrupted the media scrum around Bradley. Some smiles from Haliburton and Sheppard. Questions were met with boilerplate answers. “One game at a time,” said Nesmith. Said Sheppard: “We all believe in each other. Never get too high, never get to low.” Then it was platefuls of catered pasta from Carbone and a short walk to the team bus.
There was a plane waiting to take them back to Indiana.
And they hope there's no need to come back.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as If You Weren't a Believer Before, Game 2 Proved the Pacers Are the Real Deal.