The Indiana Pacers know all too well that being down 2-0 is not an end to the series. In fact, they came back from a 2-0 deficit in last year’s playoffs against the New York Knicks. But one player has even more experience from being down 2-0. Pascal Siakam is the most experienced player on the Pacers roster, and he might be the key to the Pacers making it to the Finals and winning the championship.
From 2-0 Down to 2-0 Up: Siakam Gives Indiana Pacers an Edge
Siakam won the Most Improved Player award in 2019, his third year in the league. At the time, Pascal was 24 years old, and the Toronto Raptors had high hopes for their season after trading for Kawhi Leonard.
After beating the Orlando Magic 4-1 in the first round, and a tough, gritty seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Conference Finals, Toronto played Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Finals. The Bucks lost only one game in the first two rounds and were well-rested, so they rushed to a 2-0 lead against the Raptors. However, Toronto won the next four games and made it to the Finals.
That experience will be crucial as the Pacers are now on the other side of a 2-0 lead. Last year, they were down to these New York Knicks in the Conference Semifinals.
So far, there have been 465 playoff series in which one team has had a 2-0 lead. Of those, 431 went on to win the series, an astonishing 92.7%. But the Pacers know all too well that a series is not over when you go down 2-0.
How Can Indiana Finish Off the Knicks?
The first two games have gone down to the wire, and Indiana has so far been the better team in the clutch. The Knicks have the Clutch Player of the Year in Jalen Brunson, but Indiana has managed to overcome his brilliance in the final minutes of the game. And to be fair, Brunson had some costly turnovers in Game 1, and rushed a shot in Game 2.
There are two key stats that are in the Pacers’ favor. The first one is turnovers, with the Pacers winning the possession battle. In Game 1, they had only seven turnovers, while the Knicks whiffed the ball 15 times. In Game 2, it was closer, with the Pacers having 10 turnovers and Knicks’ 12. As long as the Pacers continue to protect the ball, they should be fine.
The second important aspect is sharing the ball. The Pacers play a different style than the New York Knicks. They share the ball and play up to 10 players. They had more assists in both games. Sharing the ball and playing more guys means their stars are more rested at the end of the game. Looking at Game 2, Tyrese Haliburton played 35 minutes, while Brunson played 39. Mikal Bridges played 45, and OG Anunoby finished with 36. On the Pacers side, Andrew Nembhard had 37, but the Pacers played 11 guys. Nine of them appeared in more than 10 minutes. New York essentially played seven guys. Over multiple games, that type of rotation will continue to favor the Pacers. Armed with a 2-0 lead and experience from the other side, Indiana should close out the series.
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