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2025 Round 3 Game Thread: Knicks vs. Pacers, Game 1 – On a Final Run

It is a Game 1. Of the Eastern Conference Finals. And the Knicks are in the game. And the game is at the Knicks’ home court.

How fucking cool is that?

Let’s take a moment to first appreciate how fucking awesome it is for the team that we root for to be hosting Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Okay, moment over, now I want them to destroy the Pacers, go up by, like, 26, and then slowly pull away.

Let’s go, Knicks!

Just 8 wins left to go!

The Dylan tune is “Duquesne Whistle,” one of the last sort of kind of mainstream Dylan songs (it’s the most recent song featured in the musical, Girl From the North Country).

337 replies on “2025 Round 3 Game Thread: Knicks vs. Pacers, Game 1 – On a Final Run”

Hali is all gas and no brakes, but let’s see if he knows how to work the clutch

The city is fucking insane right now. Only the Knicks can make this place feel like Ann Arbor on a Saturday afternoon.

I had a girl from Miami who works in lingerie send me a DM that said “you Knicks fans are crazy. They’re even making Knicks lingerie right now”.

Here’s the link… it’s in their story. Buy it for the woman in your life… or for yourself.

https://www.instagram.com/fleurdumalnyc?igsh=M2tkYWR2Zzl2NDE1

i’m turning my out of office on in outlook…i don’t want to get fucked with leading up to tip off….

yeah booooyyyeeeez…lock and load..

really urge you guys to read hubie having a girl from miami in lingerie in the same metaphorical vein as donnie saying he watched nba tv

lol I meant in the field of lingerie design, not literally in lingerie. But you probably knew that and it is funnier your way.

crochet left lindor stranded on third after a double and a steal

hey z-man 😊

when you get on, just wanted to thank you for mentioning DudeInKnicksTown the other day…

his situation and in particular his strength and resolve while experiencing that tough situation really hit me hard at the time…

stopped me in my tracks when he mentioned the reason for his resolve: i have people who need me

so clear in his purpose, so much strength that in that difficult time he was actually able to share his strength with others…remarkable behavior…

anyways, hope all is well for you and the fam z-man…

Nice one Cyber.

Hubie, not sure “I had a girl from Miami who works in lingerie send me a DM” counts as an assist, but maybe tomorrow you can tell this particular story…

when you get on, just wanted to thank you for mentioning DudeInKnicksTown the other day…

his situation and in particular his strength and resolve while experiencing that tough situation really hit me hard at the time…

stopped me in my tracks when he mentioned the reason for his resolve: i have people who need me

so clear in his purpose, so much strength that in that difficult time he was actually able to share his strength with others…remarkable behavior…

Amen!!! LFG Knicks.

This blog is manic depressive sometimes. Ay the moment it’s on the positive side. I didn’t vote because it’s too emotional an issue for me. But I will say that Pags could be right. I’m sure Pacersbloggere is voting 95 to 5 or so that the Pacers will win. They are much better than they used to be as are we. It’s hard to say how much better. I’d love to break their hearts with a Knick victory but it’s just as likely our hearts are broken instead.

This blog is manic depressive sometimes.

This is just what it means to be a fan. You live for the highs and the lows. Some days you just need to feel something.

there are likely to be asian folks at the game tonite it seemed to be a big deal when referring to the okc fan base last nite for some raeson it is truly a good thing and i think that diversity is a good thing

i don’t want to get fucked with leading up to tip off….

my friend has watched a few games with me (miraculously still haven’t been kicked to the curb), and oldest son has watched some of the playoffs with me…

other than that though, like george thorogood says – i watch only, with nobody else…

do you watch games with other folks pepper?

I am as excited as Red on the bus from Maine to Fort Hancock, Texas.

We are on a journey whose outcome is uncertain.

Let’s go Knicks.

We’re not even in the Finals and we’re already talking about girls and lingerie?? LOL

Did you guys even look at the link??? You should all be ordering some!!

jim irsay dead

Dang, and he just wished the Pacers good luck eight hours ago on social media. That’s a shame. He was a really good owner.

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I just want to know how they photoshopped an image of my abdomen in that shot with the fleur du mal.

Did you guys even look at the link??? You should all be ordering some!!

Hubert, I’ve lost a lot of weight the last few years. I haven’t lost that much weight.

Just walked past a guy in Knicks gear in the east village setting up a screen on the sidewalk to watch the game. It’s raining.

Love this dang city.

do you watch games with other folks pepper?

generally no, when I lived in nyc, i would sometimes watch with my uncle at home or a bar (or go to yankee or knick or ranger games…he had a good hook up for nice seats)…since i moved out west in 2008…i haven’t met any real ny sport fans to watch a game with (there was one dude who i coached little league with who was from jersey…think we watched a jet game together)…so its just me in the living room and my wife comes in from time to time when i get too loud and/or are cursing at the team…i kind of prefer it now…watching solo that is…some good solo’s on that Thorogood tune (well…there is usually one on most of his songs)

Maybe there’s no girl in lingerie, and this is just a script Hubert is writing, and he put a small bit here to see if the great Alan Sepinwall, the third finds it funny or not! 🤭

Did anyone watch TNT’s NBA tip off? If so, who did they pick?

Since we went 4-1 vs. BOS when I do this…

**Official Pagliacci Predictions**

-Down 10+ in first six minutes
-Hali 12+ assists
-Towns under 30 minutes due to foul trouble
-Pacers over 40% from 3
-Turner 5+ blocks
-Knicks more turnovers than assists
-Fake comeback to get close then lose by 15

Come on, boyz! Let’s see 48 mins of discipline and aggression!

One city, one team! 🧡💙

But a lot of people in a lot more cities too… like Porto! 🙂

Just walked past a guy in Knicks gear in the east village setting up a screen on the sidewalk to watch the game. It’s raining.

That was me. These bars are too damn crowded.

I went to the bathroom 0-0 and it’s 18-14!

What the hell happened?

Being down 4 to a team shooting 100% is kind of good. When they come down to earth…

Pretty much everything I thought might go wrong defensively has and it’s only been 5 minutes.

I was totally staying sober for this game, but I’m starting to change my mind…

Stay focused, defend, don’t do dumb things, they’ll cool off and the game is loooong. LGK!

I blame this start on Indiana switching the usual shooting baskets to start the game.

My mantra is “the Pacers’ shooting will regress to the mean”.

We will see.

KAT has been almost as good on offense as he has been awful on defense.

Forgot how bad Hart is when he has to cover Siakam one on one

Indiana didn’t

I went to the bathroom 0-0 and it’s 18-14!

What the hell happened?

ha, strat – i missed the jump to and joined to that score – yuch…

I can hear my giant martini glass calling me from downstairs…

Brunson with 0 asts so far just going ISO whenever he has the ball.

As of this moment, the Pacers’ eFG% is 96.7%. 29 points on 15 shots.

If Nesmith and Nembhard are really Jeff Hornacek and Dan Majerle then we are going to lose

Brunson with 0 asts so far just going ISO whenever he has the ball.

You were saying?… 😉 😀

I know Indiana’s defensive rating improved as the season went along but they look like they still pretty much suck on defense.

Brunson should easily get 10 asts every game against this defense!

mitch is simply mitching out there…

please, much less KAT at the five…let him run center with the second unit or something…

Indiana shooting the lights out and we have the lead !? 😮 I’m pleasantly surprised!

Hard to believe we are up 2 the way they are playing.

Mitch!!!!!

Go get them boards!

Not sure how many minutes Mitch can go but he is obviously a very important player in this series

20-24 in 6.5 mins before Mitch came in
16-10 in 5.5 mins after Mitch came in

Mitch is something like 60% on ORebs when not counting his missed FT attempt this game

This reminds me of game 1 of the WCF series. Road team comes out hot, runs out of gas.

Will someone put an elbow in TJ’s face? It would make him look better.

This isn’t a game where we can afford shitty Payne’s minutes, every possession counts.

P.S. Come on Cam, I’m trying my best 😉

Why are we still going to Cam Payne? He’s done nothing except for 1 game

The more things change, the more TJ McConnell keeps killing us

Max I was going to say that about the interview but it annoyed me too much to type.

And speaking of annoying, let’s all say it together.

WE HATE TJ.

I can’t believe he completely Julius Randle’d Cam.

I think Mitch is better than Towns maybe

Let’s play them together and do a side-by-side comparison

OG dribble possession is his version of a heat check

Lol

Italian announcer: “Cam Payne plays like he has Curry sewed on the back of his jersey, unfortunately for Knicks fans he’s not”

Pretty sure we’ve won 110% of the games Mikal has an offensive tip-in

I don’t think Thibs can play KAT and Mitch together against this team

I’m mentally exhausted already watching this series and we’re not even halfway thru the 2nd quarter…

Great game. It’s the opposite of the 90s, offense being better than defense, but it’s super entertaining too.

enjoying making rick call a timeout – get him thibs!!!

and put mitchell robinson in the starting lineup already…who knows, maybe we can get and hold a lead more easily…

Can Thibs use this guy from the challenge?… He’s at 100% !! 😀

You can’t fucking blow 2 easy fast break opportunities like that.

Payne is shooting every round shaped object he can put his hands on…

KAAAAT!

Not sure OG’s hammy recovered. May be great if he’s on the bench….but then we’ll have to expand the rotation a bit.

KAT must feel so liberated playing the Pacers defense compared to the first 2 rds.

that og flub was crazy. we need to give mikal a little more rest at this pace, he’s having to conserve energy already

The Garden may have hit a new decibel level with that Obi blown dunk.

Towns ties his made 3ps from the Celtics with 3 — this is not a joke

Yeah aftee that last shot attempt by Payne it’s time to bring Brunson back in.

Deuce missed KAT on that cut like people miss the gorilla in that video

see towns on siakam there? we can try that with mitch on turner as long as kat’s not in foul trouble

see towns on siakam there? we can try that with mitch on turner as long as kat’s not in foul trouble

From your lips to thibs’ ears

I like KAT’s drop defense. He keeps going backwards until he makes SURE the guy has an open 5-footer.

Or open three-pointer

i hate to say it, but both hali and lamelo shoot some cool looking long distance shots…

edit: that last hali haul was not one of them…

it’s getting tedious that the announcers keep mentioning runs: when mitch was mitching…whatever, just win by one…

At least we are getting a whistle

Totally agree. I am exhausted watching this

Oh looks, there’s TJ again… Hi TJ… I hate you…

is this our pace or theirs…

It’s theirs, Geo, they are the pacers !! LOL

Well we took their first punch in the mouth and answered.

And we’re playing more like Game 6 vs. Game 5. Liking it a lot.

Seems like the Knicks offense maybe slightly under rated and this high octane style isn’t so bad for them

I thought the last 40 seconds Mitch for KAT swap was interesting since we were guaranteed to get at least 1 more offensive possession. Worked out, but seemed unusual for Thibs.

Amazingly we’re now shooting 51.0% and they’re now shooting 51.1%.

My mantra is “the Pacers’ shooting will regress to the mean”.

We will see.

The Pacers shooting regressed. Part of it was Mitchell Robinson. Even when KAT reentered the game, the Pacers did not go back to hitting everything.

I like that the Knicks are playing Indy’s pace. Beat them at their own game and they can’t control the game

Kenny’s glasses make him look like Fizdale.

That’s not a compliment.

It does seem like we need to use another guy in this series. 23 minute halves for Mikal at this pace is not sustainable.

Quite the dilemma for Thibs – play a guy who is unstoppable on offense (KAT) or a guy who is completely dominant on defense and the glass.

Beat them at their own game and they can’t control the game

i like that, stay confident and keep running…gonna need more mitch and cam, hopefully jalen and KAT get another good rest around the beginning of the 4th to be able to finish the game at a high pace…

I like that the Knicks are playing Indy’s pace. Beat them at their own game and they can’t control the game

Sounds like rope-a-dope to me.

At some point they will need to give someone else on the bench a run. Wright should be the guy.

Quite the dilemma for Thibs – play a guy who is unstoppable on offense (KAT) or a guy who is completely dominant on defense and the glass.

Or, you know, both at the same time

Quite the dilemma for Thibs – play a guy who is unstoppable on offense (KAT) or a guy who is completely dominant on defense and the glass.

what’s the thinking for keeping KAT away from the four – fear he can’t handle siakam, or whomever else is stepping in to that spot for them?

Edit: obi toppin too i guess

let KAT play the five when thomas bryant hits the floor for some minutes…

Jalen, Towns, OG getting lots of rest, Hart doesn’t need rest. Only Mikal overextended. So…5 minutes from Shamet?

more deuce 🙂

deuce deuce in the trunk…

i love deuce’s shooting form for someone his size, perfect set, jump and shot, long distance and mid-range…

Free throws – free points

Hopefully those Bridges bricks don’t start a snowball effect

Brunson is not getting his whistle. Carlisle won’t even have to complain about small markets this time.

Feeling similarly toward NEsmith and NEmbhard reminds me of feeling similarly towards Antonio Davis and Dale Davis

Interesting challenge

Not sure about it. Think this will be a loss

Bullshit call though, agree

Don’t know what they’re going to decide in this review. They showed like three fouls not called before the ads.

Can’t let them hang around. Thought we got away with a few calls. Let’s take advantage.

I don’t think that’s the challenge we should be challenging … there was more of a foul earlier … that was a lot of Brunson … though defender doesn’t necessarily get to the spot

We’re not playing smart right now and OG’s double team on Siakam wasn’t his best read of the game

Please for the love of God sit Hart for Mitch. We need two bigs. I’d even take Precious, who if I remember does well on Siakam while he’s OG’s kryptonite.

…except KAT falls down a lot, too.

I did like his drop defense against Turner one-on-one, because, um…

Boy seeing OG bring the ball up made my stomach flip.

Thank you Hali for bailing him out.

Brunson has had Kat open from 3 several times and not finding him

I love how much people are talking about Mitch but he has been doing this offensive rebounding since summer league of his rookie year

Mitch is not afraid to lock down Halliburton on the perimeter. First time, Mitch played great D, but Hali hit a tough 3. Second time, Mitch forced a bad air ball from 3.

Why THE FUCK doesn’t KAT post up on this lineup every single time !!!!???? What the fuck

That’s what you like to see, Payne dribbling the ball for 20 seconds before taking an offbalance jumper.

Interesting Thibs ran away from the big lineup pretty fast when Indiana went small

KAT had Mathurin pinned down but Deuce didn’t get him the ball then finally did after KAT stepped out to the 3pt line which lead to his missed forced 3pter.

It was not elegant, but the Knicks survived Brunson’s stint on the bench with 4 fouls. Lead by 3 after 3.

Not sure what that defense was on TJ there. Looked like Moses with the Red Sea parting before him.

Always kills us

Our inability over the centuries to stop TJ McConnell is really something

We’re only shooting 67% from the FT line.

Missing 9 free throws…OMG.

Their bench isn’t playing a whole lot more minutes than ours, so I’m not worried too much about gassing

This is feeling like a “we’re letting them hang around game”. Hard to imagine a game more up do the taking than this one right now… we’ve had better swings but can’t capitalize … I say as long as we don’t turn it over we should control.

Knicks gonna lose this game because of defensive rebounding is inexcusable.

We’ve hunted Mathurin on five consecutive plays he’s an utter sieve

I was saying to my girlfriend how screwed we are without Brunson, right as OG ripped off 5 quick points. I don’t look very smart, but that’s ok! Keep it up!

I’ve already had enough of Reggie. So clearly pro-Pacers. Makes you appreciate the professionalism of Breen even more.

BigBlueAl:

As Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven, “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”

I think one of Eastwood’s underrated movies is In the Line of Fire.

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