The Indiana Pacers ravaged the New York Knicks to defend Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the second consecutive game. With head coach Rick Carlisle by their side, the home team swallowed the gritty Knicks, blowing them out 121-89. Physicality and intensity were present in abundance tonight, with the Pacers’ brutal defense on Knicks’ marksman Jalen Brunson limiting the Big Apple’s offensive options.

After going up 2-0, New York hasn’t had the luckiest interaction with their fortune. Before Game 3, they got news of OG Anunoby being sidelined with a hamstring injury. Two games ago, the team lost Mitchell Robinson for the entire playoffs with a stress injury in his right ankle, the latest to enter this unfortunate list. Despite these troubles, the biggest reason behind the Pacers’ win was their diabolical pressure on both sides of the court.

As the fastest and most potent offense in the NBA, they rattled the Knicks with audacious shot-making from the very beginning. Tyrese Haliburton, despite playing through a back injury, set the initial tone for Indiana. When discussing the series during the Hoops Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon noted how the Pacers have been playing two games simultaneously; one with the Knicks and the other with the referees.

Prior to their home games, the Pacers were dissatisfied with the way the game was called in New York. After the loss in Game 2, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle ripped into the referees for missing blatant calls. The NBA fined him $35,000 for his comments, a sum Windhorst felt was a “cheap” escape.

Are the Indiana Pacers and their coach, Rick Carlisle, testing the referees?

Windhorst and his podcast guest were in awe of the Pacers’ bounce back into the series against the Knicks. After marginally losing both games on the road, they enforced their authority within their walls. Referring to Game 4 in particular, the duo was thoroughly fascinated with the Pacers’ pressure-heavy game plan for defeating the Knicks. However, they also emphasized how the team was challenging the officials during the play.

“They are also applying pressure to the referees because Nesmith is playing extremely physical with Brunson, and they’re like, ‘You can’t call every foul'”, Windhorst claimed during the exchange. Elaborating on the matter, MacMahon compared this strategy to the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom, who played ruthless defense during their peaks in the 2010s.

Moreover, in return for their coach’s fine, the Indiana Pacers got just what they wanted, as MacMahon claimed. Over the last two games, the physicality in the contest has dramatically increased. Nesmith has tailed Jalen Brunson since the time he brought the ball up. His tenacious efforts have managed to quiet down a ‘hot’ Brunson. In those games, he scored just 26 and 18 points.

Additionally, with the Knicks being over-exhausted because of their long injury list, Indiana has been unforgiving. The Knicks have failed to match the pace Indiana plays with. They have also struggled to slow the game down, alluding to their poor shooting in both road games. Now, the series stands level, with the edge slightly in favor of Indiana. If the nature of the series is maintained, do you think New York has a chance to win? Let us know your views in the comments below.