Latest news with #KarlAnthonyTowns
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NBA Fans React After Pacers Beat Knicks To Secure Their First Finals Appearance In 25 Years
NBA Fans React After Pacers Beat Knicks To Secure Their First Finals Appearance In 25 Years originally appeared on Fadeaway World. It was a historic night at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday as the Indiana Pacers took down the New York Knicks in Game 6 to advance to the NBA Finals. The Pacers, who are 12-3 in the playoffs so far, will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final round of the postseason for a chance to win their first NBA championship. Advertisement After an inspiring win at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, the Knicks were feeling good about their chances to make a comeback. Being on the brink of elimination, however, there was no room for error, and they couldn't avoid making costly mistakes. Mostly, it was the third quarter that broke the Knicks, where they dropped just 23 points to get outscored by 11. The final score wasn't even close: 125-108 in favor of the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton had a signature performance tonight, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds, and 13 assists to make amends for his performance in Game 5. Pascal Siakam, meanwhile, was the leading scorer with 31 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 55.6% shooting. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns totaled 22 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. On social media, fans were buzzing with reactions to the game. While many were poking fun at the Knicks, most of them were speaking highly of the Pacers and the incredible season they've put together. "Congrats to the Pacers fans! Such a fun team to watch," wrote Bill Simmons. "Can't wait to talk about this series on the pod tomorrow. The Game 1 comeback was an all-timer and set up everything else." Advertisement Right off the bat, many fans found themselves disappointed with two small-market teams in the NBA Finals (Oklahoma City and Indiana). While many were hoping for the Kicks to make it in, there's no changing the results, and it doesn't mean the Finals will be any less entertaining. "Most fans of the other teams probably wanted a Knicks-T-Wolves final," a very optimistic fan posted X. "But that's the way it goes…..we are going to have a first-time champion, which is cool… and you never know, the series might be better than a lot think." Whether you love or hate the matchup, there's no denying that both teams are playing some great basketball right now, and it will surely deliver some excellent gameplay for the fans. "People saying this will be a bad finals are wrong," wrote one fan. "Two teams playing very high-level basketball. What more could you want?" Advertisement Perhaps the best start of this story from the Pacers' perspective is that they were counted out from the beginning. Nobody had them making a Finals run this season after a rough start, but they've hit a stride at the right time and are now four wins away from winning a championship. "So happy for Hali and the Pacers," wrote one fan. "Started the season 10-15, got voted most overrated player by the league, dad got banned from attending some playoff game... and now they're headed to the Finals." For Knicks fans, the mood was, understandably, much more somber. As they face a long summer ahead, their fans will be rooting for the Thunder in the Finals, but mostly they will be watching to see what their front office does to improve their current situation. "This series proves one thing. Knicks need to make wholesale changes both outside and inside the organization," wrote a fan. "You can't keep constantly getting shit on by everyone, unless you have competent managing and coaching, and players who are willing to perform come playoff time." Advertisement The Pacers will be entering the Finals as major underdogs to win. The Thunder have home-court advantage, and they also have the reigning MVP, who is more locked in now than ever before. It's going to be a wild fight ahead, but first, the Pacers will take a minute to celebrate the win and enjoy their ongoing playoff success. This marks the second straight year Indiana has advanced to at least the Conference Finals. The only question is, can they do it again? Related: WATCH: Knicks Fans Attack A Tyrese Haliburton Doll Following Game 5 Win This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
Knicks Players And Coaches Frustrated With Karl-Anthony Towns' Defensive Habits
Knicks Players And Coaches Frustrated With Karl-Anthony Towns' Defensive Habits originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The New York Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns during the offseason in the hopes that he'd help them get to the Promised Land. Towns was expected to elevate the Knicks' offense, and while he did that, The Athletic reports that his defensive habits have frustrated his teammates and coaches. Advertisement "Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns' defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. "Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn't grasp the importance of the matter." The fact that Towns isn't a great defender isn't something that we or the Knicks just found out. That's been the biggest problem when it comes to him for years, but the team decided to acquire him anyway. Towns' issues on defense were on full display in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Knicks. His pick-and-roll defense, in particular, was woeful as he gave Tyrese Haliburton far too much space by staying back. Advertisement Haliburton barely broke a sweat as he scored six straight points during one stretch in the fourth quarter. Earlier in the series, meanwhile, the Knicks' defense was a mess when it came to defending the three when Towns was on the court. If you want to win in the latter stages of the playoffs, all this simply cannot happen. It would be unfair, though, to put all of the blame for the 125-108 loss in Game 6 on Towns. The 29-year-old put up 22 points (8-19 FG), 14 rebounds, two assists, and one steal against the Pacers. It wasn't his greatest performance, but it wasn't an absolute disaster by any means. For the series, Towns averaged 24.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. He certainly had his moments, like when he dragged the Knicks to victory in Game 3 with 20 points in the fourth quarter. This series loss does raise questions regarding Towns and Jalen Brunson as a duo. Sure, they can score at a high level, but when both of them are on the court, the opposition finds it easier to score as well. The Knicks seemed better off with just one of them on the court at times in this series. Advertisement Towns and Brunson aren't good defenders, to say the least. The Knicks surrounded them with the likes of OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Mitchell Robinson, and Josh Hart, but were still exposed defensively from time to time. This is going to be a problem moving forward as well, and you wonder if the front office decides to make another big move. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo would be the obvious target if he asks out, but if they can't get him, there really isn't any major move for them to make. That will mean running it back with this core. The Knicks' ceiling seems to be the Conference Finals at this point. While that's not bad for a franchise that has struggled so much this century, they have aspirations of lifting that Larry O'Brien Trophy. Related: NBA Fans React After Pacers Beat Knicks To Secure Their First Finals Appearance In 25 Years This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Magic Johnson Assigns Blame for Knicks' Playoff Exit
Magic Johnson Assigns Blame for Knicks' Playoff Exit originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks needed a win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to extend the series and get a shot at the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the Indiana Pacers ended up blowing them out, 125-108. Advertisement Indiana led by as many as 21 points, thanks to Pascal Siakam, who exploded for 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Tyrese Haliburton was also sensational with 21 points, six rebounds, 13 assists and three steals. OG Anunoby led the Knicks in scoring with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points. However, the New York big man shot 0-of-4 from deep. Jalen Brunson, who was averaging 33.0 points in the series entering Game 6, finished with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Following the game, NBA legend Magic Johnson was quick to share his assessment of the battle that had just ensued. He focused on the Knicks' loss, pinning the blame on Towns and Brunson for failing to show up when it mattered most. Advertisement "The New York Knicks lost Game 6 because their two superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns didn't play well," Johnson explained. "They also didn't control the pace of game." New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during Game 6 against the Indiana Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Unfortunately for the Knicks, they no longer have a chance to redeem themselves and now head home with plenty of questions to answer about their lineup and their performance. With Indiana's win, they officially closed out the series against the Knicks, 4-2, and booked a ticket to the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It remains to be seen what steps the Knicks will take in order to return to the conference finals, but they certainly missed out on what could have been a great opportunity to contend for the championship. Related: Caitlin Clark's Immediate Reaction to Pacers Making NBA Finals This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tom Thibodeau Gets Candid About Knicks' Offseason After Playoff Exit
Tom Thibodeau Gets Candid About Knicks' Offseason After Playoff Exit originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks' season has come to a close after a brilliant campaign, which saw them make an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Advertisement After trading for Karl-Anthony Towns just before the regular season, adding him alongside Jalen Brunson, there was plenty of uncertainty around the Knicks. The Tom Thibodeau-led squad knocked off the reigning champion Boston Celtics in the playoffs before falling to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. While no banner will be raised -- and the championship drought since 1973 will continue -- the Knicks' season was far from a failure. The Big Apple was buzzing during the entire playoff run. They had a real shot at making the NBA Finals. The self-inflicted mistakes during the Eastern Conference Finals proved to be too much, though. © Brad Penner-Imagn Images With that, the Knicks will be facing some major offseason decisions. Do they split up Towns and Brunson? How do they address the need for depth? Advertisement The season might have just ended, but Thibodeau understands what's coming for the club. "It's a big offseason for us," Thibodeau said candidly. There will be many suggestions as to what the Knicks need to do -- whether it be with their head coach or roster. Regardless, New York is in a positive position, as they were just two wins from making the NBA Finals. The Knicks need to make positive moves, or they could deconstruct a squad that made a deep playoff run. Again, this squad had just this campaign together with a core behind Brunson and Towns. Mikal Bridges was a fresh face. Josh Hart had a new role. OG Anunoby was still finding his footing in the Big Apple. Mitchell Robinson spent much of the season injured. Advertisement There should still be time to build around the core. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- General
- Reuters
Pacers F Jarace Walker injures ankle, availability uncertain for NBA Finals
June 1 - Indiana Pacers reserve forward Jarace Walker injured his right ankle during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night and his availability for the NBA Finals is uncertain. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Walker was on crutches after the game. The ankle badly turned while he was defending Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks during the opening possession of the fourth quarter. "He's young, so that's good," Carlisle said after his team's series-clinching 125-108 victory. "I did not see a replay, so I don't know how much, how far it turned over, how much weight he had on it. But when a guy goes down and stays down like that, you're always holding your breath." Indiana faces the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night in Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Walker had two points and one rebound in seven minutes before exiting. He remained on the floor as play continued until it was stopped after New York scored another basket. He was eventually helped off the floor by two trainers. Walker, 21, averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 75 regular-season games (five starts) this season. He was a first-round pick (No. 8 overall) in the 2023 draft. Also, backup center Tony Bradley (hip), who was injured in Game 5, didn't see any action. --Field Level Media
