The New York Knicks were embarrassed in Game 4 by the Indiana Pacers, losing 121-89. They trailed by as many as 43 points in the game, as the short-handed team was running on fumes on the road.
But, a 32-point loss counts the same as a one-point loss on the docket. The Knicks were still tied with the Pacers 2-2 heading back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 and they had revenge on their minds.
On Tuesday night, the New York Knicks returned the favor with a blowout victory of their own. The team looked rejuvenated being back at home, as they wanted to erase the memory of their poor Game 4 performance.
It didn’t take long, as the Knicks punched the Pacers in the mouth early and often. In previous games, Indiana had a counterpunch, but they could not withstand the relentless physicality and aggressiveness of New York.
Right from the opening whistle, the Knicks wanted to set the tone. After getting beaten badly at their own game in Indiana, they returned to basics in Game 5. Two of Tom Thibodeau’s pillars for success are rebounding and defense and they excelled in both.
Dominant doesn’t begin to describe what the New York Knicks were able to do on the glass. Isaiah Hartenstein set the tone early, grabbing more offensive rebounds on his own in the first quarter than the Pacers had total rebounds as a team.
It was like that for the entire half, as New York matched some impressive NBA Playoff history. According to Chris Herring of ESPN, the Knicks are the first team since the Memphis Grizzlies to record more offensive rebounds than their opponent has total rebounds for an entire half of a playoff game.
Hartenstein, who led the way with 17 total rebounds, was a one-man wrecking crew. He grabbed 12 of the team’s 20 offensive rebounds, as they bludgeoned Indiana on the interior. In the process, he matched some very impressive NBA history.
For the entire game, the Pacers had only 29 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass. New York had a huge edge, grabbing 53 total rebounds en route to the blowout win. Josh Hart continued his impressive work on the glass, grabbing 11 rebounds and his first offensive boards since Game 2 of the series.
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