Downcast and still shaken by Wednesday night's stunning loss, the Knicks left for Indianapolis today, hoping to save their season.
Unless the Knicks defeat the Indiana Pacers in Friday night's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, New York's quest for a championship will end in abrupt and bitter fashion.
It will be the biggest game in Pat Riley's three seasons as New York's coach. The Pacers had never won a National Basketball Association playoff series before this season, yet they need just one more victory to defy the odds, to upset New York, and to reach the finals for the first time in franchise history. Meanwhile, a Knicks loss would be the most devastating setback of Riley's tenure, and a strong signal to management that a major off-season shake-up is in order.
If the Knicks are the team they have said they are, they must win Friday, because championship teams win games like this. It is time for all the Knicks, Riley, the coaching staff, and the players, to make a stand, or step aside.
"The players have to play the game of their lives, and the coaches have to coach the game of their lives," said Charles Smith, the forward who is one of many Knicks on the spot. "We have no choice. The reality is that if we lose the game, we're done."
Today's scene at the Knicks' practice site looked eerily like last season, after the Knicks lost Game 5 of the conference finals at home to the Chicago Bulls, before being eliminated in Game 6. The players were still solemn, as they arrived in their cars and loaded their suitcases onto the bus.
There were no Mark Messier-like statements from the Knicks, no one who would guarantee a victory Friday at Market Square Arena. Patrick Ewing arrived in a limousine and went to great lengths to avoid the television cameras gathered near the team bus, instructing the driver to back up and pull up to another entrance. When several cameramen chased Ewing's limousine down the hill, the car reversed field again, allowing Ewing to hurry out of the car and into the gym before the camera crews could set up.
Twenty minutes later, Ewing quickly boarded the bus, and said, "See you on Sunday. Those are my only words."
John Starks made the strongest statement about forcing a Game 7 on Sunday in New York when he said: "There's no doubt in our mind that we will be back here on Sunday. We're angry and disappointed that it had to come down to this, but the simple facts are that we are in the same position that we were in last year. But we know we can beat this team. We'll be better prepared than we were last year."
But Riley may have summed it up best before boarding the bus when he said: "It's a very simple situation for our team. There's been enough said, enough talk. We simply have to do it."
The Knicks have only themselves to blame for their current predicament: trailing, 3-2, to the Pacers in the four-of-seven-game series. The Knicks lost a 2-0 lead in the series. They lost home-court advantage. And while a brilliant 25-point fourth quarter by Reggie Miller lifted the Pacers to their remarkable 93-86 victory in Game 5, the Knicks could have withstood Miller's spectacular long-range shooting display Wednesday night if they had kept their poise.
Instead, New York fell apart. While Miller kept making shots at one end, the Knicks kept making mistakes at the other. When Indiana made its 14-0 run to take the lead for good, New York made six consecutive turnovers. It was pure panic on the Knicks' part. They tried to force the ball to Ewing, telegraphing passes and allowing Indiana to anticipate plays. It was a startling sequence. Aren't the Knicks the team with much more playoff experience? Isn't Riley the coach who has won four championships? It was impossible to tell, judging by what transpired on the court. The Knicks looked just as nervous Wednesday as they did a year ago, during the closing stages of Game 5 against the Bulls.
Just how good are the Knicks if they allowed the Pacers, a team that has never been this far before, to win Game 5 in New York? Losing Game 5 of last year's conference finals at home to the two-time champion Bulls was a different story for the Knicks. When the Knicks were eliminated last year, the prevailing theory was that New York was going through the necessary growing pains to win a title. The last two N.B.A. champions, the Bulls and the Detroit Pistons, lost in the conference finals before finally breaking through.
1-2-3 Punch
But a loss by the Knicks on Friday would mean that this team is not progressing toward a championship. Consider these facts as the Knicks prepare for Game 6:
*The Knicks have a 1-6 road record during the playoffs, including five consecutive road losses.
*In their last three games against the Pacers, the Knicks have averaged 77 points.
*The Pacers are unbeaten at home (6-0) during the playoffs.
The schedule says Friday will be Game 6, but to the Pacers, it will be Game 7. And whenever the Pacers have had a chance to eliminate a team at home this season, they have done it. They won their only home game against the Orlando Magic to complete a three-game sweep. And they beat the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 at Market Square Arena to end that series.
A Weakness Exposed
The Pacers did not celebrate after Wednesday night's game as if they had won the series. They sensed that their work was not done.
"Friday is going to be the toughest game of the year," Miller said. "You know they're going to do whatever it takes. They have really dominated us the last three or four years. By no means is this series over."
But the Pacers have exposed the Knicks' offensive weaknesses in this series, their lack of consistent outside shooting, their lack of a player who can make creative one-on-one moves, their lack of a point guard who can consistently penetrate and create opportunities for teammates.
Help Wanted? Help Needed!
It is almost too late for the Knicks to make major offensive adjustments. To win, they must get a strong game from Ewing, and the Knicks' center must get scoring help from someone, whether it be Starks, Smith, Derek Harper, or someone else. Larry Brown, the Pacers' coach, has had all the answers for the Knicks' offense the last three games. And if Riley cannot come up with a counter for the Pacers' double-teaming and full-court pressure, the Knicks offense will probably continue to look inept.
If the Knicks lose Friday night, they can start making plans for the summer, and the front office will begin making plans for change.
