Pacers set NBA playoff record by shooting 67.1% from the field in Game 7 win over Knicks

This has been a historic campaign for the Pacers already, as the team complied one of the best offensive regular seasons in league history. However, it seemed they were only warming up for the playoffs, as they set a new record in Game 7 of their semifinal series win against the Knicks. 

The Indiana club reached a new NBA postseason mark by shooting 67.1% from the field in Sunday’s 130-109 victory. Now, the team has advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 10 years and will face none other than the Celtics.

“We have a historic offense obviously, but this guy got things rolling and everybody kind of just followed suit,” Myles Turner said while pointing at his teammate Tyrese Haliburton, who scored 26 last night.

"The Pacers will set a record for the best shooting performance in NBA Playoff history."

"They'll face the Celtics starting on Tuesday. Come back from down 3-2, win the last 2 games and defeat the Knicks in 7 games." pic.twitter.com/XqjXLGxUHq

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 19, 2024

The team’s starting center still couldn’t believe what they had achieved. “To do that on the road here in the Garden in Game 7 obviously is phenomenal, but I think this is what we’ve been doing all season long and we were able to show it on the biggest stage,” he expressed.

Indiana averaged the sixth highest point average in regular season history with 123.3 points, and then set a new NBA record by producing a total of eleven 140+ point matches. “I just told our team when you win a Game 7 in Madison Square Garden, you’ve made history,” said coach Rick Carlisle.

His squad dropped in 29 of their 38 shots in the first half, producing an outstanding average of 76.3%, which has the playoff’s highest since 1997. Rival Donte DiVincenzo hit 9 three-pointers and scored 39 for New York, but simply wasn’t enough against the Indiana powerhouse.

“There’s only so much you can overcome,” said the former Warriors guard. “But you can start from every single guy in this locker room, honestly, we’ll be here all day talking about each one of them, the way the guys stepped up this year, even in the playoffs … It’s not easy to do.”

On the other hand, Haliburton praised his team’s playing style. “I think it’s just the old-school way of thinking that you can’t play this fast in the playoffs, but I think opportunistically you can do it. I think if we’re able to get stops, of course we can,” he said postgame on Sunday.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson broke his left hand in Game 7 after colliding with Haliburton’s leg

To top off their disheartening elimination at the hands of the Pacers, the Knicks suffered another blow as they witnessed their superstar Jalen Brunson brake his hand during Game 7’s defeat. This almost came as no surprise, as New York has suffered injuries all season long.

Despite losing the series 3-4, the point guard felt proud of his team’s efforts against one of the best offensives in the NBA. “I’m proud of what we were able to do this year and the way we fought,” the All-Star expressed. “Obviously, the outcome is not what we wanted.”

As the Manhattan organization awaits Brunson’s MRI result, coach Tom Thibodeau dedicated praise for his squad despite the intense disappointment of missing out on the Eastern Conference Finals.

“Knowing that this team gave its best effort all year long, I can live with the result,” said the Knicks tactician. “It’s disappointing, but in the end there’s only going to be one happy team. Twenty-nine teams will fall short. This team fought like crazy and there’s no regret.”