Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
For most of this series, the Indiana Pacers’ success came from Paul George. However, in Game 6 it was George Hill who finished off the Atlanta Hawks.
With 21 points, seven assists and strong defense–notably holding Kyle Korver to 3-11 shooting–Hill gave the Pacers the necessary boost to grab the first and only road win in the series.
The Pacers will advance to the second round to face the New York Knicks. Though the Pacers looked disinterested during their series with the Hawks, the attention and motivation level should be much higher as they’re underdogs in this round. Though the Pacers performance was underwhelming and relatively unseen as they were banished to NBATV for most of this series, the Pacers consistently showed the ability to get up for big games this season, especially against the Miami Heat.
The Pacers will present an interesting matchup for the Knicks, as they’re very similar teams. Hill will likely need to play similarly stifling defense on J.R. Smith and George will likely defend opposing superstar Carmelo Anthony. The series will be a battle of pace, as the Pacers would like to play at a similarly slow pace to their first round series.
The Pacers are often the forgotten giant in the Eastern Conference. Most of the talk revolves around the Heat. The little time that remains is spent on the Knicks. This series, however, is the Pacers’ opportunity to enter that discussion. With an emerging superstar in Paul George and strong role players in Hill, Roy Hibbert and David West, the Pacers have strong personnel that are ready to make their statement in the playoffs.
