The Indiana Pacers completed one of the most miraculous comebacks in NBA Playoff history, stunning the New York Knicks 138-135 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers have proven that they're battle-tested, earning impressive series victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Pacers seizing the early series lead over the Knicks, Stephen A. Smith pointed out an advantage that Indiana has over New York that could prove to be troublesome for the team for the rest of the matchup.

“You’ve got a guy in Rick Carlisle, when you look at him going 11 deep, 11 Pacers average at least 15 minutes per game during the regular season. So this is Rick Carlisle we’re talking about here, a championship coach who knows what’s required in order to win [a] championship alright. Juxtaposed that to Tom Thibodeau, a great coach without question, but has never coached in an NBA Finals as a head coach, it has not happened. So we have to look at that and we have to think about what we have said about the New York Knicks. How this man will run his players into the ground.”

Smith continued, “The New York Knicks, in terms of their bench productivity, averaged a league low 21.7 points, while playing the fewest minutes of anybody in the NBA. You think Rick Carlisle’s not paying attention to that? Of course he is, that’s why he’s continuously imploring his team, run, run, run, because he’s playing the long game.”

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Smith poses an excellent point about the Knicks and how Thibodeau uses his depth. The Pacers are.a fast paced team, consistently running in transition and using their speed and athleticism to create advantages in the game.

Plus, the Knicks looked drained in overtime against the Pacers. Jalen Brunson struggled in key moments, losing the ball on a few possessions and appearing off balance. Both Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns took three-point attempts in the final seconds of overtime, but their shots fell short, clearly showing signs of fatigue.

If the Knicks look to even the series between the Pacers and ultimately win to clinch their first visit to the NBA Finals since the 1998-1999 season, Thibodeau will have to open up his rotations to give his key contributors room to breathe.