Knicks demolished in second half as dream season ends with game 6 dud

INDIANAPOLIS — It was set up perfectly for them. The Cavaliers bowed out early. The Celtics became depleted and were never going to recover after blowing those two 20-point leads at home.

The Knicks then flushed that golden opportunity down the drain. They blew Game 1, a loss that will be remembered among the very worst in franchise history, and they never recovered. Favored

to reach the NBA Finals, the Knicks couldn’t even push the Pacers in Game 6. Series-long issues — transition defense, turnovers and slowing down Pascal Siakam — were among the reasons

Indiana cruised to a 125-108 rout Saturday night at boisterous Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Above those were Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks’ two All-NBA talents, coming up small

in a big spot. EXPLORE MORE Their best was needed, and they didn’t come close to providing it. Their defensive shortcomings are one thing, and they were clear throughout this series, but

neither was close to good enough on the offensive end Saturday night. “Not much to be said. We knew we kind of gave this one away,” Josh Hart said. “You can’t start 0-2, especially losing

two at home. You can’t give away games in the playoffs.” Brunson committed five of the Knicks’ 18 turnovers, and shot 8-of-18 from the field. Towns had an empty 22 and 14 rebounds. OG

Anunoby (24 points) was the Knicks’ best player. When it mattered, the Knicks couldn’t slow down the Pacers. ------------------------- FOLLOW THE POST’S COVERAGE OF THE KNICKS IN THE 2025

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couldn’t do it late in Game 1, and they couldn’t come close in Game 4 or Game 6. After piling up 130 points Tuesday in this building, the Pacers shot a blistering 54 percent from the field,

made 17-of-33 3-point attempts and had six players in double figures. Siakam (31 points), the series MVP, was the best big man in the series. Tyrese Haliburton (21 points and 14 assists) was

the best guard. “There were stretches where we played very good defense and stretches where we didn’t,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Once we dig into it and look at: Was it our defense, or

was it our turnovers? Probably both.” And so, the Knicks now head into the offseason in disappointing fashion, despite reaching the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. For the

second straight year, the Pacers ended their season. At least last year, the Knicks could point to injuries. They were healthy this spring. It is worth wondering if they can get past this

point led by Towns and Brunson, two defensively challenged players. “It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said. “We got a bunch of great guys in that

locker room, and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.” The Knicks were fortunate to trail by four at halftime. Their offensive stars, Brunson and Towns, shot a combined 7-of-20

from the field. Bridges and Anunoby were carrying them. After halftime, it fell apart quickly. The Pacers opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run. It started with four empty trips by the

Knicks, and Indiana took advantage. The lead ballooned to 13 in a hurry and grew to 15 after a Thomas Bryant 3-pointer. “Third quarter, I think it’s been a lot of third quarters, them coming

out with a lot more energy than us, playing harder than us,” Mikal Bridges said. The Knicks responded with eight points in a row. They had momentum and possession. But then Bridges lost the

ball, leading to an Aaron Nesmith dunk. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON AND OFF THE GARDEN COURT Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+. THANK YOU Soon, the lead

was 14 again. Soon, the offseason had arrived. There would be no Game 7 at the Garden on Monday night. No miracle comeback after three of them this postseason. “It sucks, man, simple as

that,” Brunson said. “It sucks.”