Siakam keeps scoring
Indiana advances to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, beating New York 125-108 in Game 6 Imagn Images
The Indiana Pacers, led by 31 points from Pascal Siakam, beat the New York Knicks in Game 6 to close out the Eastern Conference finals at home and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.
The Knicks kept the game close until the third quarter, when the Pacers' pressure on both ends began to swing the game. Indiana forced 18 New York turnovers, resulting in 34 points, and scored 25 points in transition.
Tyrese Haliburton was quiet until the fourth quarter but scored 11 points late, finishing with 21 points and 14 assists.
Indiana's role players stepped up as well. Thomas Bryant scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting, including 2-2 from 3, in 12 minutes while Obi Toppin scored 18 points off the bench, shooting 7-11 from the field.
The Pacers did an excellent job on Jalen Brunson, holding him to 19 points on 8-18 shooting with five turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns, battling through a knee injury, finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby helped New York hang around, scoring 24 points on 10-18 shooting.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Thursday, June 5th at 8:30 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City.
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Pacers head to NBA Finals for first time since 2000, besting Knicks in Game 6
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2025 NBA Finals preview: Thunder-Pacers key matchups, X-factors and more Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn
After a quiet Game 5, Pascal Siakam is back to cooking against the Knicks. Indiana's forward has 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3.
Even after makes by New York, Siakam is dashing the other way and getting easy buckets.
Most fascinating thing about that half is that the Knicks' best player didn't have fouls and still only played 16 minutes in an elimination game ... and this from the coach renowned for running everyone into the ground! Tom Thibodeau's adjustment after Game 2 to realize he couldn't use a 6.5-man rotation at Indy's tempo isn't getting enough credit. Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn
Tyrese Haliburton has 16 points and 12 assists in the last game and a half. He had 32 and 15 in Game 4.
Another big difference in the first half was from beyond the 3-point line.
The Knicks are just 3-of-11 in 3-point attempts so far (27.3 percent). The Pacers, meanwhile, are shooting 8-of-15 from beyond the arc (53.3 percent). Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
With Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns struggling a bit, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby have stepped up for New York.
Anunoby has 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, showing aggression getting to the rim. Bridges has 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-1 from deep.
New York is down four points at halftime despite Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combining to shoot 7-of-20 from the field.
Brunson has 10 points and four assists but also three turnovers while Towns has left a lot to be desired on defense. Towns still contributed eight points and seven boards.
The Knicks need one, if not both, of their stars to get going in the second half. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
This game is so good so far. Choppy at times, but each team has showed some resiliency. Tension is palpable.
After a relatively clean Game 5, the New York Knicks are again struggling with turnovers here in Game 6. The Knicks have 10 compared to five for the Indiana Pacers. That has given the Pacers numerous transition opportunities, and Indiana is outscoring New York 16-2 in points off turnovers at halftime.
They call it a veer switch. It's when the guard begins by trailing his man in a pick-and-roll before abruptly veering into the path of the rolling big man's pocket pass. Andrew Nembhard executed one of the best veer switches I've ever seen to get the steal that led to Pascal Siakam's layup just before halftime.
Andrew Nembhard has proven to everyone's satisfaction that his shooting in his last year's playoffs was an outlier.
Tyrese Haliburton has 8 points and 6 assists at halftime of Game 6, matching his totals from all of Game 5. Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn
Halftime - Pacers 58, Knicks 54
OG Anunoby beats the buzzer, but the Knicks remain down four after a dramatic first half!
Anunoby is having his best game of the series for the Knicks, but the Pacers appear to have rediscovered their lethal transition offense and used that to stay ahead every time the Knicks made a run in the second quarter.
Andrew Nembhard has missed five of his six shot attempts outside of the paint. A rough time to not just go cold, but to lose confidence in his shot.
Andrew Nembhard hesitated for a long time before missing that open 3. He's really struggling on offense, to the point where I don't think the Knicks mind having Jalen Brunson guard him. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
Andrew Nembhard hesitated for a long time before missing that open 3. He's really struggling on offense, to the point where I don't think the Knicks mind having Jalen Brunson guard him.
Two things that will be sure to be on tape at halftime, one for each team: Pacers: getting beat on the baselines for corner shots off screens
Knicks: getting beat by Pascal Siakam after made baskets Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
Knicks didn't get back after a made Mikal Bridges shot. Pascal Siakam transition dunk.
That is the definition of adding insult to injury. Pascal Siakam risks his loins and OG Anunoby gets two free throws out of it while Indiana is out of challenges for the night.
With these two teams so evenly matched, neither team can afford to have any of its players have an off-night. Every possession counts is the cliché, but it's also true. So far tonight, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are both struggling on offense, shooting a combined 5-of-18. It's even worse than that shooting number indicates, because, remember, that Brunson scored New York's first two baskets of the game and has been relatively quiet ever since then.
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Time Magazine
an hour ago
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Little Hoops on the Prairie: Why the Thunder-Pacers Finals Are Worth Watching
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
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As an exasperated league continues its never-ending quest to stamp out tanking, here come the Indiana Pacers rising from the debris of mediocrity, right on cue. There is a long-held belief in the NBA that the worst place to be is stuck in the middle. Never bad enough to be in position to draft top talent, but never quite good enough to compete for championships. It's the 405 in Los Angeles and it's rush hour. Advertisement The NBA has increased its efforts in recent years to abolish tanking. It can use the Pacers as proof it's possible to win big without it. Indiana is returning to the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years after plenty of seasons spent stuck in the middle, but it has never once entered a season trying to lose. Oh, there have been plenty of losses along the way. Indiana won 25 games in Rick Carlisle's return season, but it was a year wrecked with injuries. In this case, intent matters. The Pacers began the 2021-22 season with playoff aspirations but became sellers at the trade deadline, sending Caris LeVert to the Cleveland Cavaliers for picks and acquiring Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings in a separate deal that reshaped their future. At no point did the franchise enter a season with the idea of playing for lottery odds instead of wins. Not when Larry Bird was there, not when Frank Vogel coached, not when Carlisle was there the first time, and certainly not now. They've been tempted. The Pacers came close to acquiring Russell Westbrook's massive expiring contract in 2022 and picking up a first-round pick for owner Herb Simon's willingness to pay him. But such a move would have been a concession that the Pacers were giving up and bottoming out. The deal collapsed when the Lakers refused to add another first-rounder, and Myles Turner remained in Indianapolis. Now they're thrilled to still have him. HOW THE PACERS WERE BUILT 🏁 — NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025 Players never compete intending to lose, of course. But front offices can rig rosters so winning is nearly impossible. The Pacers never did that. In fact, throughout the last quarter century, they have been more of a model for exactly how not to compete for an NBA championship. They made the playoffs nine out of 10 years between 2011 and 2020 but advanced to the conference finals only once. They were eliminated in the first round five consecutive years — the definition of milquetoast. Advertisement That was during the era of super teams when LeBron James reigned in the East. Now the Pacers are thriving with healthy organizational development. Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker were top 10 selections. The rest of this roster was constructed with mid-round picks or lower, aggressive trades, economical free-agent signings and a touch of patience. They resisted the urge to give up on Turner too soon. They gambled on Haliburton when they traded away Domantas Sabonis, who made a pair of All-Star games while with the Pacers. They gambled on Pascal Siakam, trading three first-round picks for a player who was close to free agency. Now, Siakam is the MVP of the conference finals and still wearing Pacers colors. They haven't paid the luxury tax since 2006. They haven't picked in the top five since 1988. Yet they played for the NBA Cup and advanced to the conference finals last season, and now they're four wins from a championship. Rarely have teams beaten a pair of 60-win teams to win a title. The Houston Rockets were the last to do it, in 1994. If they conquer the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pacers will become the first team in NBA history to beat a pair of 64-win teams en route to a ring. They already eliminated the 64-win Cavs in the second round, and the Thunder won 68 games this season. Similarly, Indiana can eliminate seven All-NBA players just in this postseason. It ended the seasons of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Still to come are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Considering Haliburton was a third-team All-NBA selection, the Pacers could eliminate half of the remaining All-NBA players this postseason. They might not be the dominant monsters of dynasties past, but this has a chance to become a historic run of success nonetheless. Advertisement This is exactly how the league wants teams to build now. What didn't seem feasible when stars were partnering up in desirable markets now might be the best path forward: try hard, compete, draft wisely and organically develop talent the hard way. It's how the Denver Nuggets won two years ago. It's how the Pacers are doing it now. The last two lottery winners cashed in odds of 3 percent or less to win the No. 1 pick, an indication the current system is working as the league intended since flattening the lottery odds again in 2019. In the seven lotteries since, a team with the best odds won the first pick four times. The other three winners were complete long shots. Losing assures nothing. Tanking will probably never be abolished, but the NBA is much closer to its end goal than it was a decade ago. The Pacers never tried to lose. Now they're on the cusp, finally, of winning big. (Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Stacy Revere / Getty, Dylan Buell / Getty, Jason Miller / Getty)
