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Pacers’ Depth and Knicks’ Strategy in NBA Playoffs
SportsGrid
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5/24/2025
Category
🥇
Sports
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00:00
One of the keys for the Pacers both this year and a season ago,
00:04
the balance and the depth that Rick Carlisle's crew has
00:07
in seven of their eight victories so far in this NBA playoff run.
00:12
They have had at least six guys in double figures.
00:14
The only win where they did not have at least six in double digits,
00:18
that was the Game 5 series clincher against Cleveland.
00:22
On the other side, J.Y., we know Tom Thibodeau's rotation
00:25
may be a little bit more tight than what we will see out of the Pacers
00:28
in this Eastern Conference Finals.
00:30
And one guy you highlighted above all else, that's Carl Anthony Towns.
00:35
His points prop for game number one of the Eastern Conference Finals
00:38
stands at 22 and a half.
00:41
The New York Knicks are going to take game one inside MSU tonight.
00:45
What does New York need out of Cap?
00:49
They need about 25 points.
00:51
So I think you're going right to where I'm thinking about, right?
00:53
That's over 22 and a half points for Carl Anthony Towns.
00:56
Like I said, averaged 30.3 points per game in the three series games
01:01
versus Indiana during the regular season.
01:04
So I look at Cat as looking the guy to go over.
01:07
You also mentioned the bench play of Indiana.
01:10
That's going to be a key.
01:11
So the guy I'm looking at is actually a former Knick,
01:14
and that's Obi Toppin, over seven and a half points.
01:17
I know he went under five out of six games in the previous years versus Cleveland.
01:20
This is going to go more up and down a little bit.
01:22
They're going to use Obi to kind of get out in transition and make one,
01:25
which obviously forces the Knicks to get back and use their legs.
01:30
I think not in the last 12 games, including the playoffs,
01:32
Obi Toppin's going to over seven and a half points.
01:34
Look for Obi Toppin to get about 10 points tonight.
01:36
Oh, Obi, over seven and a half points tonight.
01:40
How about Miles McBride?
01:41
Coach, come on, man.
01:41
Six and a half points in game number one.
01:44
A couple triples from deep.
01:45
And by the way, just to let you know,
01:46
I do think Carl Anthony Towns has a decent night.
01:48
But you know where I went?
01:49
I went in under problem Carl Anthony Towns, under one and a half,
01:52
three-point shots made it, plus money.
01:54
It's been seven games since he made more than one triple.
01:57
Do I expect him to knock one down?
01:58
Yes, but not two.
01:59
But give me a little Miles McBride.
02:00
Give me somebody way down that list.
02:02
Maybe a TJ McConnell or even a Josh Hart at this point.
02:05
Who exceeds expectations for game number one that we can dabble in?
02:09
Yeah, forget Obi.
02:09
Well, I think he has Obi one, Kenobi's one, but Deuce could get loose.
02:14
You know, I don't know, it's deep.
02:16
We're not talking like P.J. Tucker, three and a half,
02:19
when he was with, you know, Milwaukee deep.
02:22
That's deep.
02:23
That's deep.
02:23
And in the corner, drop a triple.
02:25
Yeah, just hit a three and a foul shot, and you get over to three and a half.
02:28
But yeah, I think Deuce could get loose for about six and a half.
02:31
Listen, Deuce obviously played Donnie much better in the series versus Boston
02:36
than versus Detroit.
02:38
Because he's going to have to get extended minutes,
02:40
and they're going to have to get bros.
02:41
I think Deuce can get loose and knock down a couple of threes.
02:44
You also mentioned the pest, and that is McConnell.
02:47
And McConnell has done – he's going to be a critical part in the series
02:51
because if you guys remember last year,
02:53
he got into it a little bit with Jalen Brunson at times during the series.
02:58
So I do look at another player like McConnell to go over his points prop.
03:02
The bench is where you're going to find your value
03:05
because those guys are going to get extended run in the series,
03:08
especially if you expect it to be a seven-game series.
03:11
These guys got to get a lot of runs, particularly more on the front end
03:14
to kind of save their likes.
03:16
Because remember, guys, this series only one – I think it's only one day
03:19
in between every game for I think the totality of the series.
03:23
So you've got to use your bench, guys, a lot.
03:26
Yeah, you certainly do.
03:27
J.Y., I do think in that series against Boston, even with a healthy Jason Tatum,
03:32
one of the key differences for New York, the excellent wing play out of OG Ananobi
03:37
and Mikael Bridges, as we saw in that game six finale.
03:40
Those two combining for 45 points, Ananobi 23, 22 out of Bridges,
03:45
each hitting four triples.
03:47
How critical are both of those wings for Tibbs and the Knicks
03:51
in this Eastern Conference Finals?
03:52
You know where we're going.
03:55
You know, they'll be serving him for hopefully all seven games,
03:58
and that's wing stop.
04:00
So you could look at either OG Ananobi over one-and-a-half steals at minus 122,
04:06
or the same thing with Mikael Bridges over one-and-a-half steals at plus 116.
04:11
Why?
04:11
Because Mikael's going to have the primary assignment versus Halliburton,
04:15
and then OG's going to have the primary assignment versus, obviously, Pascal Siakam.
04:19
And those are the two primary ball handlers,
04:22
and those are the two primarily guys that set the teammates up.
04:26
So maybe look at steals or stocks if you could find them
04:30
for both Mikael Bridges and OG Ananobi.
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