Because we have a game six Saturday night in Indianapolis! The Knicks came home for game five Friday night at the Garden with a tall three step task ahead of them. They completed the first step against a Pacers team that didn’t bring their “a-game,” (that’s being generous) but that wasn’t on the Knicks to answer for, as they won 111-94 in front of raucous MSG crowd to make it a 3-2 series. The Knicks weren’t amazing, but they didn’t have to be to stay alive. This was a game where some increased attention to detail and focus at both ends of the floor would be more than enough to get it done. Let’s look at some the performances that went into this win sending us to a game six.

Tonight was mostly about two players offensively for the orange and blue, and the first of which we’ll highlight is Jalen Brunson, who was his best self with the Knicks facing elimination. Number 11 went for 32 points, going 12-18 from the field and 4-7 from the beyond the arc, including the four point play you see above that made the Garden erupt. It’s no surprise that Brunson came through as he repeatedly has for years now in the playoffs for this team, and he set the tone in this one with an unconscious first quarter. Quick shout out to the clowns at WFAN who thought tonight was a “legacy game” for Jalen Brunson, which is nothing short of absurd to say about a player whose legacy in this town will be intact for some time to come, no matter what happens from here in his career. He along with a few other key individuals are the reason this franchise is out of the dark and into the light and attacking him insults the intelligence of the public. I’d link the clip below, but why give them the clicks…after all, it’s all they’re after.

The other player to highlight in game five is Karl Anthony Towns, who had another marvelous game, especially on the offensive end of the floor. The Pacers haven’t had an answer for KAT all series and tonight was no different as he logged 24 points, going 10-20 from the floor while collecting 13 rebounds. The only thing that held him back from a bigger night was as usual, FOUL TROUBLE…just infuriating. For as gifted as “Bodega KAT” is, his senseless and mindless fouls are just so harmful to the team and his game as it takes him off the floor disrupting his own rhythm and the offense as a whole. To pull off the comeback we’re all dreaming of Towns has to be in the game as much as possible, not sitting on the bench with five fouls.

The rest of the big guns were for the most part a non-factor, so the Knicks got some big-time minutes from the “defensive unit.” Landry Shamet, Deuce McBride, Delon Wright, Precious Achiuwa and the newly minted 6th man Josh Hart ran with different combinations of players to great affect tonight. Hart was the only minus player of the group (he was a -1 in the ratings), but everyone else was a plus in this one. This unit has been effective as Thibs has accidentally put together a group that greatly frustrates the Pacers up tempo style of attack, and he needs to continue to deploy it! Even if this is just for a few minutes, the disruption and defensive step up is enough to justify the change in the lineup.

So where does this leave us? How should we feel about what is ahead of us Saturday night? The absolute fact of the matter here is that game six is likely going to be a WAR. Don’t for a second think this game is going to be anything like Thursday night’s game five win, because this Pacers team is going to come back with a big-time outing! Indiana will in all likelihood look to come out firing in game six, with the intensity ratcheted up and their offense pushing the pace. The start could very well make or break this contest, and the Knicks need to weather the storm as best they can. Don’t turn the ball over, avoid foul trouble, and stay within striking distance on the scoreboard. If you can stay close in the game and put the heat on late, the pressure of potentially blowing this 3-1 series lead will only mount, pressure the Pacers haven’t yet faced this postseason.

So, for the next day and a half, enjoy the win and watch the Yankees and Mets to decompress on this Friday night. Maybe go out and load up on the heart meds for Saturday night and some strong booze…you’re going to need it one way or another folks. There’s only one thing left to say…KNICKS IN SEVEN!

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.