Shara was on the ground at MSG for us.
Still reeling from Friday’s gut-punch, our P&T correspondent Shara Talia Taylor filed a preview of tonight’s Game Three. The theme is bleak arithmetic: New York led at halftime in both contests yet trails the series 0-2 because Indiana has torched them 65-47 after the break.
Shara rewinds Game One, when the Knicks were up 17 in the fourth until Aaron Nesmith and Tyrese Haliburton rallied to win 138-135 in OT—and Game 2, where Pascal Siakam’s 39 and the Pacers bench flipped a six-point halftime cushion into a 114-109 loss.
Mikal Bridges admitted the answer is equal parts defense and cleaner reads on offense; Tom Thibodeau conceded Siakam “hurt us every which way.”
Jalen Brunson’s 79 points across two games haven’t masked the minus-24 minutes while he rests, and Karl-Anthony Towns’ 35-point opener was followed by a forgettable second outing.
Shara’s video essay stitches together quotes from Brunson, Bridges, Siakam, Haliburton, and Rick Carlisle. Watch the full video below and drop your Game Three predictions in the comments section.