Ten critical factors of Pacers vs. Knicks

And what'll matter in Game 2

After a crazy Game 1, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals is tonight. Because there was a short turnaround between games, and the Knicks stars already looked exhausted at the end of Game 1, David Thorpe suggests the Pacers will be fresher by the end of Game 2. AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES

On Wednesday afternoon, before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, David Thorpe sent me a message by WhatsApp. It didn’t have a lot of context, but I’m a smart guy so I more or less figured out the topic.

That was the lens David watched Game 1 through. Two of them, in particular, he feels decided Game 1. After the game, we re-capped how it went.