Sports

2 Adjustments The Pacers Can Make In Game 6 Of The Eastern Conference Finals

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By
Ben Pfeifer
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Ben Pfeifer Sports Editor

Ben Pfeifer graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Psychology and Journalism. He has worked in basketball scouting covering the NBA and the draft for over a half-decade, working for various outlets. Now, he covers the NBA, the draft and high school basketball.

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Published31 May 2025

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The Indiana Pacers dropped Thursday’s Game 5 in Madison Square Garden, failing to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years. The New York Knicks dialed up their defensive play and Indiana left plenty of chances on the table. To win Game 6 at home, the Pacers must adjust on offense and defense, playing with more aggression and breaking out of some schematic tendencies.

Here are two tweaks they can make Saturday night. 

Amp Up The Offensive Aggression

When Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t score aggressively, the Pacers often lose — evidenced by his eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in Game 5. Without belaboring that point, Indiana’s offensive aggression disappointed across the board, even beyond Haliburton’s ivity. The Pacers will drop most games where Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith all score six or fewer points.

Indiana had its worst offensive performance of the playoffs, posting its lowest offensive rating (97.8) and highest turnover rate (19.6 percent) of the postseason. The Pacers undoubtedly lacked their typical urgency and intensity offensively, but players also neglected driving and scoring chances all game. 

This play late in the second quarter sticks out — Nembhard found a one-on-one transition chance with Jalen Brunson as the lone interior defender. Instead of challenging Brunson to score or draw a foul, Nembhard feels OG Anunoby’s slight help from the corner and throws the ball away:

Hesitancy led to Indiana posting its least efficient game scoring at the rim (54.5 percent) and in the short midrange (29.4 percent) of the postseason. Mitchell Robinson is one of the league’s best rim protectors, but Indiana still faltered when Karl-Anthony Towns and Precious Achiuwa manned the frontcourt.

New York mustered its best defensive effort of the series, seamlessly blending ball-screen coverages on Haliburton. The Knicks’ toggling among hedging, basic drop and conceding Brunson switches flummoxed Haliburton. But his unwillingness to attack Towns on switches and use space to drive or score in the intermediate area was fully opposite from his dominant Game 4 showing. 

Most Pacers should look to emulate the aggression of Bennedict Mathurin, who led the team with an efficient 23 points on 10 shots and nine free throws. He never shies away from a scoring opportunity — sometimes to his detriment — but his confident demeanor often saves a somewhat overly ive Pacers team. To close the series out, the Pacers must return to dictating the offensively.

Send More Help to Slow Down Karl-Anthony Towns

The Pacers had no answer for Karl Anthony-Towns’ offense in Game 5. He scored 24 points and was a team-high plus-26 for New York. His slashing prowess, fueled by elite flexibility, power and touch, generates easy points and buckles Indiana’s defense.

Indiana doesn’t roster a defender who can check Towns on their own. Pascal Siakam’s leverage via lower center of gravity helps force Towns away from easy layups, but Towns easily shoots over him. Turner and Tony Bradley match his height but can’t counter his power. The Pacers, despite their obvious defensive weaknesses here, haven’t done nearly enough to make Towns uncomfortable.

The great Caitlin Cooper highlighted this, not only focusing on Towns’ drives but Indiana’s unwillingness to help out its primary defenders against Towns. The Pacers found some success helping on Towns in Game 3, when they forced him to commit a playoff-high six turnovers.

Towns’ ing acumen makes it challenging to send extra bodies at him, especially for a Pacer defense which doesn’t help as often as many modern units. They have no other option, though. Indiana forcing Towns to read the floor and demand its defenders rotate to cover for disadvantages might not feel comfortable. But it’s a preferable option to allowing Towns to eviscerate defenders downhill, which he’s often done throughout the series. To secure a win in Game 6, that should change.