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And just like that, the New York Knicks' Cinderella story comes to an end as the injury-plagued squad was upended by a red-hot Indiana Pacers team in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon (May 19 ).
As ESPN, The Indiana Pacers reportedly made the playoffs with their hot shooting in the first half of the game and although they cooled off in the second half, they finished the game with a 67.1% field goal percentage which is the highest ever recorded in the NBA. playoff game. Right, Knicks superstar point guard Jalen Brunson suffered a season-ending injury in the second half of the game when he broke his hand and was pulled from the game as the Knicks saw their playoff dreams slip away at the hands of a fully healthy Pacers. club.
Per ESPN:
It was the best shooting half in a playoff game on record, surpassing his 74% San Antonio Spurs shot during the 2014 NBA Finals in a performance that left some thinking it was one of the best offensive basketball performances ever. And the Pacers won it.
The Knicks made a push in the third quarter, thanks in large part to a 3-pointer run by DiVincenzo (37 points). He finished with nine treys for the game, tying a Knicks playoff record. Those 3s and some rare defensive stops cut the Pacers' lead from 22 points to seven and made Knicks fans think they might finally see something to remember.
If the Knicks had pulled off a miracle on 34th street and won the game, they surely would have been swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals without their floor general Jalen Brunson, who was struggling with his game before breaking his hand. game in the 3rd quarter.
It was already a rough day for Brunson, who was just 6 of 17 shooting for 17 points before leaving.
“It's part of the game and, like I said, this team, we didn't make excuses for anything,” Brunson said. “And so if things happen, we go with what we had. Obviously we wanted everyone healthy.”
Unfortunately for the Knicks, health has been in short supply this season as all of their starters have been sidelined since Game 7 rolled around. With four bench players in the starting lineup and Jaylen Brunson leading the way, many considered it a miracle that the Knicks lasted as long as they did in the playoffs.
This is perhaps the first time the Knicks have been eliminated from the playoffs, and New York fans were still happy and grateful with how the season turned out.
Respect.
