New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers NBA playoff preview
USA Today
Season series: Tied 2-2.
Points per game (per 100 possessions): Knicks 100.0 (108.6), Pacers 94.7 (101.6).
Matchups worth watching: Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony vs. Pacers forward Paul George, Knicks center Tyson Chandler vs. Pacers center Roy Hibbert.
Scoring leaders: Anthony (28.7 ppg), George (17.4 ppg).
Why New York will win: The Knicks love to spread the floor with a small lineup that creates mismatches. When they are hitting open shots, their offense is outstanding. Indiana will struggle to keep pace because of its oversized lineup. Anthony is too big for George but too fast for David West.
Why Indiana will win: The Pacers drag games out and force teams to play at their pace. Hibbert, West and Tyler Hansbrough will control the paint against the smaller Knicks. They also defend the three-pointer exceptionally well and could neutralize the Knicks' greatest strength.
Did you know? The Pacers only have one player on their playoff roster older than 27 (32-year-old West). The Knicks only have one player on their playoff roster younger than 27 (22-year-old Iman Shumpert).
Prediction: Pacers in 6.