Rick Carlisle insists there are "no excuses" after the Indiana Pacers' 121-91 defeat to the New York Knicks saw them fall behind in the Eastern Conference semi-final series. (More Basketball News)
Jalen Brunson top-scored with 44 points in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks edged 3-2 ahead in the series with 💝a commanding win that moved them to the brink of their first Eastern Conference finals 🉐appearance since 2000.
Pascal Siakam's contribution of 22 points proved academic for Indiana, who must continue their unbeaten postseason run on hoཧme soil in Game 6 at Gainꦆbridge Fieldhouse if they are to take the series into a decider.
The Pacers are making their first playoff appearance since 2018-19 - and targeting a first Conference finals appearance in 10 years - and Carlisle believes his side's mar🅘ginal inexperience proved crucial in Game 5.
"There are no excuses," he said. "But all the guys on our roster, I bel🎃ieve it's the first time they've been in a Game 5, tied 2-2, going on the road. So, you learn a lot in those situations very qui🔥ckly.
"This is a different circumstance, an𓃲d as a playoff series, it's going to get harder and harder. Their overall level of fight in this game was superior to what ours w♔as, and that's the bottom line."
Tyrese Haliburton added: "They made a lot of shots😼 today. But with the ones they did miss, they grabbed t♔he offensive rebounds."
Meanwhile, Knicks guar🔥d Miles McBride saluted the char♔acter of his team-mates, who bounced back from a humbling 121-89 defeat in Game 4.
"I think the shift started in t🦋he locker room in Indiana,&🥃quot; he said. "We talked about it and knew we had to respond."
