The series between the second seed New York Knicks and third seed Indiana Pacers started last Sunday with the Pacers winning 102-95 at Madison Square Garden. Game 2 is Tuesday night, then the series takes a four-day break before resuming on Saturday.  

Game 1 went the Pacers' way as a result of a dismal shooting performance from the Knicks' top two scorers, as Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith combined to go 14 of 43 from the field. This is becoming a trend, as Anthony has made only 35 of his last 110 shots - 32 percent over the last four games - and Smith has not been the same since getting suspended for elbowing Jason Terry, shooting 29 percent in his last three Obviously, these guys will have to shoot a lot better for the Knicks to win the series.

The Pacers got major contributions from two under-the-radar players in Game One. D.J. Augustin came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-for-6 shooting in only 13 minutes of action, while Lance Stephenson had tremendous energy and filled up the stat sheet with 11 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. If these two keep it up, it could be a tremendous lift for a Pacers team that sometimes struggles to find scoring.

The Knicks are best when they commit to run offense and moving the ball, as opposed to settling for isolation plays for Carmelo and Smith. For example, in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the Boston series, the Knicks were stagnant offensively, relied on Melo and J.R. to go one-on-one, and almost lost the game in epic fashion as a result. Knicks coach Mike Woodson has to emphasize working the ball around, because the Pacers are a better defensive team than the Celtics and "hero ball" will lose the Knicks this series.

The Pacers were the best defensive team in the league during the regular season in terms of points allowed per possession. They were also the best rebounding team in the league in terms of rebound differential. This is why Woodson mentioned the possibility of going with bigger lineups to matchup against the Pacers, possibly playing Carmelo at small forward with Kenyon Martin and Tyson Chandler filling out the rest of the front court. We saw this look at times in Game 1, but it was not very successful and the Knicks were out-rebounded 44 to 30.  Woodson said after the game that they will make adjustments before Game Two in order to make the lineup work. 

Game Two becomes crucial for the Knicks, as it would be devastating to their chances of winning the series to lose two at home. Look for them to come out with a lot of energy behind the support of the crowd at Madison Square Garden. I would be extremely surprised if the Knicks do not win Game Two in convincing fashion. After that, the series moves to Indiana, where the Knicks dropped two games in the regular season. The Pacers are just as tough as a home team as the Knicks are, so stealing game one at MSG was huge for them. I think this series turns into an old-school, grind-it-out battle with no team ever taking complete control of the matchup. 

Prediction: Knicks in Seven