Since February, the Pacers are showing you don’t need a superstar to win. Sometimes it takes just a winning culture, a sound president and excellent coach.
Nobody knows what the Knicks have right now in their novice tandem of team president Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher as victory eluded the club again against the Pacers on Saturday night at the Garden.
The Knicks found another way to lose but at least they showed a competitive spirit, unlike Wednesday in Indianapolis. The Knicks held a 71-62 lead with 9:55 left before falling to pieces in a 92-86 loss.
“I saw grit, effort, [but] we came up short,’’ Fisher said.
Larry Bird’s Pacers (28-34) won their second straight over the Knicks, fifth straight overall and are the hottest team in the East since February, winning 11 of their past 13.
The Pacers have taken over the eighth seed in the East and injured Paul George is possibly returning in less than a week — which could make them formidable in the playoffs.
Andrea Bargnani and Alexey Shved had the Knicks in a solid lead before it dissipated. Bargnani finished with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting but fouled out with 3:22 left, leading to the offensive collapse.
Bargnani actually received a nice hand on the way out. Shved had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists but went cold late and finished 5-of-15. Tim Hardaway Jr. had a miserable night, going 0-for-9 from the field with one point while hurting his back.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel said the Knicks’ rookie coach is in a perfect spot this season to learn the profession. There’s no longer pressure to win as the Knicks play out the string, with 21 games left. The Knicks, at 12-49, are on their way to the worst record in the NBA, and worst in franchise history.
In fact, Fisher no longer measures the games in victories, but in how hard they compete.
Jackson is no longer fretting the results. If the Knicks finish with the top lottery seed, they’ll have a 25 percent chance at the No. 1 pick and can’t fall further than fourth in June’s draft. There are four surefire studs in Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay.
Vogel, a defensive wizard, had a long coaching résumé before being promoted as Pacers head coach in 2011. In fact, Vogel began his career in the late 1990s as the head video coordinator for the Celtics under Rick Pitino. Along the way, Vogel, who is from Wildwood Crest, N.J., was an advance scout for the Lakers in 2005–06, when Jackson was the coach.
“We met once, at a shootaround,’’ Vogel recalled.
“If everybody has a right perspective on it, it’s not that tough a situation,’’ Vogel said. “It’s a situation he’s getting his feet wet as a new coach, young coach. There’s an understanding they’re building toward the future. If everybody keeps perspective on that, it is a rebuilding job. Then it’s a good situation to kind of cut his teeth in this profession as a coach. He’s got a great boss, one of the legends of the game. It’s a good situation — a long-term contract and chance to rebuild it the right way.’’
Vogel said his only advice to Fisher is keep relying on the staff.
“Listen to your assistants,’’ Vogel said. “Anyone coaching for the first time, whether coming from being a player last year or being an assistant like I was, you have to be a great listener your first year and decipher which viewpoint and opinions makes sense for your approach. And you have to be yourself. You can’t coach outside your personality. It’s recipe for disaster and failure.”
Indiana showed the resiliency not to fall apart despite the season-long loss of George and allowing Lance Stephenson to escape through free agency without filling that void. Credit Vogel.
“They understand what they’re about,’’ Fisher said. “They hang their hat on the defensive end and they’re good at that. I’m not surprised they’re playing better.’’
Despite a decent defensive showing Saturday, the Knicks are 27th in defensive efficiency. With a back injury to Lou Amundson, Fisher started Cole Aldrich at center. It marked the 31st starting lineup in 61 games. Larry Brown’s franchise record stands at 42.
The Pacers’ ability to maintain some semblance of respectability stems from a culture that starts with a proven team president in Bird, GM in Kevin Pritchard and Vogel.
Jackson and Fisher are trying to match what the Pacers have created.
“I think the culture is really important in terms of what you establish and what your front office and coaches kind of solidify — this is the way we have to do business,’’ Fisher said. “That is what we are trying to do right now.’’