Throughout the Regular Season, the Indiana Pacers have possessed one of the best offensive lines in NBA history. In the NBA Playoffs, especially the decisive Game 7 of the season, this strength was most clearly demonstrated.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points (10-17 FG, 6-12 3PT), 6 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 130-109 victory over the New York Knicks, to officially advance to the finals of the Eastern NBA Playoffs. .

The Pacers’ successful shooting rate today was 67.1% FG, the highest number in NBA history in a Playoffs match . Even in the first half of the match, Indiana reached 29-38 FG (76.3%), another record number ever recorded by the tournament.

By setting two scoring records, Indiana Pacers fully deserved the ticket to play in the regional finals, returning to the region’s highest arena for the first time in 10 years.

“We had a historic scoring day and that energy came from Tyrese Haliburton himself ,” Myles Turner said about Haliburton, who scored 14 points right from the first half.

“To score so many points with such a high FG rate when playing away, playing Game 7 and also playing at Madison Square Garden is truly special.”

The hot hands of the Pacers players helped them lead 70-55 after the first two rounds. The New York Knicks then narrowed the gap many times, but every time they rallied, Indiana responded.

It should be pointed out that the New York squad, which was already exhausted by injuries, now suffered a new injury right in Game 7. The club’s top star, Jalen Brunson, suffered a broken bone in his hand and was forced to leave the field from the start. round 3.

Jalen scored 17 points and had 9 assists before leaving the field with 6-17 FGs, a sad ending for one of the top offensive stars in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Before entering this Game 7, Brunson had scored above 5 times. 40 points since the postseason started 1 month ago.

The situation led to Jalen Brunson’s injury, causing the New York Knicks’ leading scoring star to leave the field

Striker OG Anunoby (hamstring strain) tried to return and suppress pain in this match. But he was only on the field for 5 minutes before having to ask permission to be substituted.

Another player who also endured pain while playing was Josh Hart (abdominal muscle strain). He played 37 minutes, scored 10 points and 8 rebounds but could not unleash 100% of his strength in defense and disputes, which have been Hart’s strengths his whole career.

When he left the field at the end of the match with 6 personal fouls, Josh Hart was stood up, applauded and applauded by the entire Madison Square Garden arena.

Donte DiVincenzo did everything he could for the Knicks with 9 3-pointers, scoring 39 points. Alec Burks scored 26 points despite coming off the bench, shooting 8-13 FG and 2-5 3PT. But these two defenders could not do anything on a day when the opponents were too evenly matched.

On the Indiana Pacers side, the entire starting lineup scored 17 points or more including Siakam (20 PTS), Aaron Nesmith (19 PTS, 8-8 FG), Turner (17 points, 2-3 3PT), Nembhard (20 PTS, 6 AST) and leader Haliburton (26 PTS, 6 AST).

TJ McConnell stood out from the reserves with 12 points (6-8 FG). Isaiah Jackson scored 9 points with 3-3 FG and 3-5 FT.

“Knowing that this team gave everything they had, I’m proud of the results we got “, coach Tom Thibodeau shared.

“Of course, being eliminated in Game 7 is not fun, it’s very disappointing. But in the end, the entire NBA has 30 teams and only 1 team will enjoy the feeling of victory.

We have people here who have given their all, putting their bodies at risk to compete until the very end. I have no regrets at all”.

From the 6th seed position, the Indiana Pacers will advance to the Eastern finals of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, facing the No. 1 seed team Boston Celtics.

The last time the Pacers reached the regional finals was in 2014. At that time, they could not defeat the Miami Heat with a squad including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen… and lost with a score of 4-2.

The series of matches between the Pacers and Celtics will begin with Game 1 taking place in Boston on Wednesday morning, May 22.