Pacers Finish Off Knicks & Advance to 1st ECF in 9 Years

The Indiana Pacers found themselves in a comfortable situation when they hosted a potential-closeout Game 6 against the New York Knicks tonight.  There was much uncertainty when Pacers' star George Hill went down in Game 5 on Thursday with a concussion, but his clearing prior to tonight's tipoff energized the hometown fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  It was a slugfest between the longtime rivals, but a hot start by the Pacers put them ahead early.  They expanded their lead in the second quarter and led by eight at halftime.  The Knicks were physical in the first half, but had no answer stopping the deep roster of Indiana until the third quarter.  The Knicks had lived and died by the three point shot all season and were effective behind the three point arc in the second half tonight.  They converted on four consecutive threes in the third quarter and erased a ten point deficit with a 12-2 run in a minute and a half.  The Knicks and Pacers fought for every basket and control of the game.  The Knicks continued to nail threes in the fourth quarter and finished with nine in the second half, but the Pacers' defensive stops became the deciding factor.  The Pacers made defensive plays throughout the game, including nine forced turnovers and seven blocked shots, but the most important play of the game came with five minutes remaining.  The Knicks were leading 92-90 when Roy Hibbert rejected what looked like an easy shot attempt for Carmelo Anthony.  The Pacers scored seven unanswered points after Hibbert's key defensive stop and knocked out the Knicks with a 16-7 run in the game's final 4:50.  George Hill's four clutch free throws in the final minute was the final dagger, as the Pacers eliminated the Knicks with a 106-99 victory in Indianapolis tonight.

Indiana advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in nine years with Lance Stephenson leading the charge with 25 points and 10 rebounds tonight.  Paul George added 23 points and Roy Hibbert finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.  They finished off the Knicks in six games and will face the Miami Heat beginning Wednesday night.  The Knicks, on the other hand, begin the offseason earlier than expected after a great season.  Carmelo Anthony finished with 39 points and 7 rebounds, Iman Shumpert nailed 5/6 threes and finished with 19 points, and J.R. Smith totaled 15 points off the bench.