Well, we can say this much — this New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers NBA playoff series is quite the donnybrook. It also almost became a full-fledged fight as the Knicks scrapped past the Pacers by a 121-91 count at Madison Square Garden to take a 3-2 series edge.
And this series has indeed had it all, from close games to downright blowouts to a couple of scuffles and plenty of heroics.
But let's start with the actual basketball, as Jalen Brunson erupted for 44 points to lift the Knicks in Game 5. He now has five 40-point games in the postseason — becoming the first player to accomplish the feat since LeBron James did it in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York can close out the series on Friday at Indiana. Game 7, if needed, will be right back at Madison Square Garden.
OK, now on the the chippiness, and there was plenty of it. Most of it involved Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo, as well as Pacers big men Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson.
Per the New York Post:
"Early in the second quarter, things got testy between the Knicks and Pacers after Donte DiVincenzo drew an offensive foul from Indiana's Isaiah Jackson.
"Less than a minute into the second, the Pacers' T.J. McConnell was setting up a play as Jackson tried to set a screen, which ended up catching DiVincenzo up high and knocking him down to the floor. Isaiah Hartenstein took exception to what Jackson — who was called for the illegal pick — did, and immediately got into his face."
Things are getting physical in Game 5
After Jackson puts an illegal screen on DiVincenzo and Hartenstein & Burks get involved pic.twitter.com/IO8wFPdtKN
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 15, 2024
Then, in the third quarter, DiVincenzo and Turner had to be separated after jawing about ... well, no one really knows.
"This came after DiVincenzo, in the first quarter, got in the face of McConnell after the latter took an offensive foul on an unnatural basketball movement," the Post wrote. "And DiVincenzo found himself in the middle of more chippy play late in the third quarter when he and Myles Turner had to be pulled apart the two started jawing at one another."
So, yeah. The Knicks and Pacers are truly fighting for their right to move on to the NBA Eastern Conference finals. It will be real interesting to see who, ya know, delivers the knockout blow.
Donte DiVincenzo and Myles Turner with a REAL scuffle 👀 pic.twitter.com/6d7iyL7eSV
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) May 15, 2024
