The Knicks kept their season alive by beating the Pacers 111-94 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals as stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the way to force a Game 6 on Saturday back in Indiana.
While the duo combined for 56 points on 22-for-38 shooting and got plenty of cheers from The Garden crowd, guard Landry Shamet also heard his name chanted by Knicks fans on Thursday night, including a standing ovation — and deservingly so.
Shamet played 14 minutes in Game 5, the most he’s played in a playoff game this year, and scored five points to go along with two assists and an offensive rebound. After the win, the 28-year-old gave his appreciation back to the New York fans for their support throughout the must-win game and all season long.
“I love New York. I love these fans. I’ve seen how they ride the wave with us, the highs, the lows,” Shamet said. “It’s just important for me to give everything I’ve got to them. I appreciate it. We got more to do.”
“I love New York. I love these fans. I’ve seen how they ride the wave with us – the highs, the lows. It’s just important for me to give everything I’ve got to them.”
Landry Shamet talks about the standing ovation he got tonight: pic.twitter.com/dswhNMm6MA
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He credited Brunson and Towns for carrying the team and setting the tone offensively, but his defense and energy off the bench pressured the Pacers guards and helped create a couple of turnovers. Overall, the Knicks forced a series-high 20 turnovers against the Pacers in the Game 5 win, as Shamet noted their awareness and energy all night long.
“I think just our intensity, our attention to detail, that’s a sense of desperation which is what we needed,” Shamet said. “And we’re gonna have to go do it again. That was the biggest thing, just our energy. Our communication was great. Did a better job in transition. Still, some other things we got to clean up, we’ll get to that tomorrow.”
Shamet was asked if they could tell the Pacers were frustrated by the Knicks defense, but said that’s not their job. Instead, the team will look to replicate their performance on Saturday in Game 6 to force a Game 7.
“I could sense a competitive game, there’s waves like I said,” Shamet said. “Our job is not really to pay too much attention to that. We just got to focus on us and do what we can do. We know they’re a hard team to guard, play fast. If we take care of what we have to take care of, hopefully we see results like tonight.”
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