Knicks 130, Pacers 121: "Don’t overlook the importance of Burks”

Do the New York Knicks live to fight another day... or do they fight to live another day?

If it’s not happening on the court, it’s happening off it. If it’s not someone getting his leg grabbed by a former MVP, it’s someone pulling a hamstring and suffering a non-contact injury.

If it’s not Willis Reed, it’s Jalen Brunson. On and on it goes... But at the end of the day, you can’t write it any better.

Two days after kicking their second-round series off with a strong effort that saw them beat the visiting Hoosiers by 4 points while limiting No. 1 Pacer Tyrese Haliburton to a meager 6 points, the Knicks did it twice to Indy by dropping a 130-point hammer on their foreheads on Wednesday evening.

No, Brunson didn’t make history by scoring 30+, 40+, 50+ or whatever. No, Brunson didn’t play the whole game either, which makes his 29-point effort doubly gratifying upon review.

Hell, just the fact that he was able to return to the game (because of his great conditioning, or just because he’s a stubborn man as New York demands Knicks players to be) halfway through it after leaving with the first frame still unfinished... Sheesh. These dudes.

And yes, I say these. Not this, these.

That’s because Josh Hart played 48 minutes for the second game in a row and the second time in three days.

“My Lord works in mysterious ways,” is the only explanation Hart could find for his body holding up through 96 grueling minutes of playoff basketball.

“I had a decision to make and I made a decision,” Brunson said after coming back in time to get a bunch of reps through halftime warmups before slashing the Pacers for the second time this week.

Even Thibs went left when everybody was thinking right and played Alec Burks on this unforgettable evening.

As commentator XTREE put it: “Don’t overlook the importance of Burks’ sparkling 12 seconds at the end of the half!“

Burks joined Club Trillion, just in case.

Of course, this being the New York Knicks, you knew something bad had to happen, didn’t you?

Enter OG’s hammy getting funny.

Of course, this being the New York Knicks, you knew it had to happen while OG was having the absolute best postseason game he’s ever played—yes, I said it, that’s including both Knicks and Raptors threads.

Ogugua was on the court for a bit under 28 minutes but he still found a way to dump 28 points on the day. To go with 4 boards, 3 dimes, 1 block, and no turnovers at all. Plus/minus? +10, what did you expect?

What you could expect, however, is OG hitting the shelves for at least one, two, or a few more games. Hammies are no joke, and it’s better to rest them nicely instead of putting them under stress and daring them to fire back at you.

But hey, this being the Knicks...

As ridiculous as it sounds and looks, the Knicks are one of only two teams across the whole freaking League with 6 playoff wins entering Friday (games played be damned).

The Knicks are closer to making the conference finals than the reigning NBA champions. They are closer than the No. 1 team in the East, one they will presumptively and eventually meet. They are closer than the No. 1 seed in the West, and tied with a bunch of wolves led by the second coming of Michael Jordan (no, seriously).

Vibes, immaculate, even though y’all Basketball Gods up there making it hella tough for this bunch of resilient mofos to keep pushing forward and trouncing hapless hopefuls.

Knicks in four? Knicks in four.

Go Knicks!