The frontcourt of the Indiana Pacers overmatched the New York Knicks inside by +42 rebounding margin (186-144) through the first four games of the series.

In Game 5, Chris Copeland added a new dimension to the Knicks’ offense and helped to largely neutralize the effectiveness of Roy Hibbert and David West.

“I wouldn’t call it a mismatch, but I think I can help us spread the floor and get those guys away from the basket,” said Copeland. “I’m just trying to make spacing better by being out there on the wing, give Carmelo (Anthony) his opportunities on the wings, and give J.R. (Smith) more free space to roam and attack.”

Copeland’s presence helped the Knicks cut the rebounding deficit (43-40) by pulling Hibbert and West away from the basket on pick-and-roll plays and by roaming along the three-point line along the wings in Game 5.

With Hibbert and West drawn away from the basket, it opened up space for Tyson Chandler to tap the ball out for second chance opportunities.

Raymond Felton was also able to navigate through the lane for loose rebounds and grabbed four offensive rebounds in Game 5.

Copeland has shot the ball well from beyond the arc in the playoffs (.571) and has provided a constant offensive threat when on the court.

“I think we had great spacing tonight,” said Copeland after Game 5. “We moved the ball really well.”

Coming into the series, Frank Vogel highlighted Copeland on the scouting report as a possible threat.

“We thought we’d see him in the series and we know he’s a terrific offensive player, a good player all the way around, and you have to honor him at the three-point line,” said Vogel.

After watching Copeland make three three-pointers, the Pacers must adjust to defending the stretch forward heading into Game 6.

“You can’t allow the attempt with him, he’s that good of a shooter,” said Vogel.

With Jason Kidd remaining scoreless since April 23rd, and Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Novak limited due to injuries, Copeland knows his offense will be needed to help New York win Game 6 on the road.

“I’m going to stay aggressive, my teammates want me to stay aggressive, the coaching staff as well,” said Copeland.

“I think (Chris) Copeland did an unbelievable job,” said J.R. Smith. “He’s got a whole lot of talent and we have a whole lot of confidence in him. For him to be a rookie and come in and step up as big as he did is huge for us.”

Copeland is confident the bench can provide a repeat performance in Game 6 after combining to score 35 of the Knicks' 85 points.

“It’s going to take a team effort for us to get over this hump and get out of this hole,” said Copeland. “I think everybody knows what we have to do when we get out on the floor. It’s going to take more than the first five for sure. The guys on the sidelines are staying ready and going out and helping when we can.” 

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Pablo Prigioni is not your typical NBA rookie point guard. At 35, Prigioni excels when orchestrating the offense in pick-and-roll sets as a pass-first point guard with the ability to make three-pointers if left open on defensive switches.

In a league where point guards have increasingly become scoring playmakers, Prigioni is a throwback to earlier generations, preferring to put his teammates in position to score and play hard-nosed on-the-ball defense.

In fact, Prigioni has drawn groans from fans at Madison Square Garden for passing up potential shots.

However, fans and teammates praised Prigioni for sparking the New York Knicks' runaway victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 after replacing an injured Raymond Felton.

Thunderous chants of “Pablo” broke out in honor of Prigioni’s gritty defensive play and offensive efficiency.

Jason Kidd, considered one of the greatest floor generals in basketball history, spoke glowingly of his backcourt mate.

“The fans are great here, they’re very knowledgeable, and they knew who got us going and that was Pablo,” said Kidd. “He put guys in position to be successful and that’s what point guards do.”

Prigioni has become an x-factor for the Knicks in the playoffs.

In seven playoff games, Prigioni has averaged a +16 plus/minus in four wins and a -6.6 in three losses.

Woodson expressed confidence in Prigioni against the Boston Celtics, recording five assists in Game 2, nine points and five steals in Game 3, and 14 points and five rebounds in Game 6.

When Raymond Felton injured his ankle in Game 2 against the Pacers, Woodson summoned Prigioni without hesitation to provide a jolt.

“I didn’t forget Game 6 in Boston,” said Woodson. “Pablo was big in that game and this was a big game for our ball club that we had to win. We didn’t want to go to Indianapolis down two. That was my thinking, I had flashbacks of Boston, I went with him and he came up big for us.”

Despite being a rookie, Prigioni is accustomed to playing under pressure.

Since beginning his professional career in 1995 in Argentina and Spain, Prigioni won the 2006 Spanish Cup MVP and won a bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Argentina.

Felton knew Prigioni would be a vital contributor for New York after competing against him often in training camp.

“I heard about him for sure, he played with the Olympic team,” said Felton. “I didn’t know much about him, but at the same time, I knew he was tough and that’s all I heard about him. I found it out in training camp playing against him for sure.”

Despite his advanced age, Prigioni’s energy has become infectious throughout the team.

“Pablo is a guy that we feed off defensively,” said Felton. “He’s really aggressive, gets into the ball, picks up guys full court, and we feed off that.”

Prigioni ranked 11th in steals percentage (2.92) this season.

As New York travels to Indiana for the next two games of the series, Prigioni believes ball movement will be the key to victory.

“We had patience on offense, we took better shots, and we moved the ball,” said Prigioni following Game 2. “Everything was much easier.”

After finishing the season ranked Top-30 in true shooting percentage (.595) and effective field goal percentage (.575), Prigioni has continued his efficient shooting during the playoffs.

Prigioni has converted 10 of his 21 three-point attempts (.476) and may see more playing time with J.R. Smith mired in a shooting slump since his Game 4 suspension for elbowing Jason Terry.

Smith has shot a woeful 15-for-57 (.263) from the field since returning from suspension in Game 5 against Boston.

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Winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the playoffs, the New York Knicks are once again relevant for basketball reasons. Much of that is because of the performance of Carmelo Anthony. He’s played great for the Knicks, enjoying his best season since joining the Knicks in 2011. But as good as Anthony has been, he needs to be better in a hurry.

There is no doubt that Anthony can score the ball. On any given night he’s capable of scoring 40 points, but what else can he do? What else is he willing to do?

Through the Knicks’ first seven playoff games, the 28-year-old has taken 188 shots while only recording 12 assists. He’s shooting 38 percent from the field and has almost twice the number of turnovers (22) as assists. A player with those types of statistics is most frequently called a gunner or volume shooter. Never would that player be considered great or the right guy to lead a team to a championship.

Anthony, however, has managed to avoid heavy criticism for his style of play. It’s hard to argue with the results of the regular season and there’s no doubt he’s the team’s catalyst. The time, however, has come for Anthony to make plays that don’t require him taking so many shots. That approach was good enough to get the Knicks past the older Celtics; it won’t work against the Indiana Pacers. Anthony is going to need to create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Many times scoring is viewed as the only way for a star player to help their team. Making the play somehow becomes scoring the basket. With that type of mentality, a player is going to shoot as many shots as they need to get points. But that doesn’t help a team win, one guy taking the majority of the shots never does. Anthony isn’t LeBron James, but he could become a more effective player by adapting elements from the game of the league’s MVP.

James makes plays and controls the game without shooting his team out of it; I believe Anthony is capable of doing the same thing. Great scorers can quickly identify and attack a scoring opportunity. Great players understand that taking the shot isn’t always the best play. Anthony can see scoring opportunities two plays ahead, what he now needs to do is show a willingness to make the pass. Ideally, Anthony would shave two or three shots per game off his average in exchange for two or three assists. Otherwise, Anthony turns himself into just another player.

I’ve always had the opinion that any player in the league can get hot and have a good night. Most players would score a lot of points if they had the freedom to hoist a bunch of shots. The special players separate themselves from the average league guy by impacting the game in a multitude of ways, not just scoring or shooting a lot of shots. If they get hot they score 50 or 60. If they take over 25 shots, well, they score 50 or 60. There’s nothing great about Anthony taking 28 shots from the floor to get 27 points (including six points from the free-throw line). Anthony cannot truly become a great player until he consistently makes great plays that go beyond simply scoring. The championship chances of the Knicks depend on Anthony’s willingness to do more than shoot the ball.

There is a big difference between being a great scorer and a great player. The playoffs give Anthony an opportunity to show everyone which category he fits into.

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