Two weeks ago, when the New York Knicks knocked out the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the sixth game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, Knicks fans took to the streets of Manhattan in a spontaneous, wild celebration centered around Madison Square Garden.
The over-the-top near-riot after winning nothing more than a second-round series was perhaps understandable. The Knicks had not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 1999, which was also the last year that the Knicks played in the NBA Finals.
The over-the-top near-riot after winning nothing more than a second-round series was perhaps understandable. The Knicks had not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 1999, which was also the last year that the Knicks played in the NBA Finals.
The storied franchise, one of the NBA’s 11 original teams and one of only two that still exists after 79 years in its original location (the other is the Celtics), has not won a championship since 1972, and has only two banners in its history.
Now, the Knicks are as close as they’ve come in 26 years, but they must defeat the Indiana Pacers three straight times in their 2025 Eastern Conference Finals series to keep their dreams of playing for a possible NBA title alive.
They fell behind 3-1 in the series Tuesday night, losing the second of two games in Indianapolis by a 130-121 score.
Troubling Injury Report Before Do-Or-Die Game
And on the eve of the first — and if they don’t win it, last — of those do-or-die games, the Knicks received some highly worrying news.
Four-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who saved the Knicks from falling into an insurmountable 3-0 hole when he scored 20 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday in Indiana, appeared on the Knicks official injury report Wednesday.
Town was listed as “questionable” to play in Thursday’s Game Five showdown at Madison Square Garden. The cause — a “left knee contusion.”
The 29-year-old seven-footer suffered the injury with 2:11 remaining in Tuesday’s game, as the Knicks attempted to come back from what was then a seven point deficit.
In what was initially ruled an offensive foul against Towns, the center collided hard with Indiana forward Aaron Nesmith under the hoop. The call was later reversed on video review, with officials ruling that Indiana big man Myles Turner had shoved Towns into the collision with Nesmith.
Nesmith on the play appeared to aggravate an ankle injury he suffered in the previous game. The Pacers’ 25-year-old small forward — who was a Celtics first-round draft pick, 14th overall, in 2020 — is also listed on the injury report as questionable for Thursday’s meeting at MSG.
Knicks Coach Sees ‘Good Sign’ About Towns’ Health
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said he was not worried about Towns, calling it a “good sign” that Towns remained in the game Tuesday after suffering the knee injury.
“We’ll see where he is after he gets evaluated,” Thibodeau said, as quoted by the New York Post.
Towns scored 24 points in the Knicks’ losing effort in that game, second on the team behind only guard Jalen Brunson who tallied 31. Towns’ plus/minus rating was a +3 for the 37 minutes he was on the floor for New York in Game Four.
The star of the game, however, was Pacers’ 25-year-old, two-time All-Star forward Tyrese Halliburton, who lit up the scoresheet with a triple double. Halliburton poured in 32 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 15 assists.
The remarkable performance made Halliburton the first player since 1978 — when the numbers were first tracked — to record at least 30 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a playoff game all without committing a single turnover, according to ESPN research.
