Occasional made threes had barely narrowed the gap before the Knicks' offense instantly erased it.
Allan Houston's precise pull-up mid-range jumpers continued to produce points with steady efficiency.
Sprewell tore through the defense with his explosive drives, repeatedly converting layups at the rim.
Li Fei occasionally caught the ball and fired off his signature mid-range shot, his accuracy absurdly steady and impossible to defend.
The first half ended with the score locked at 59-39.
The Knicks held a twenty-point lead on the road and had a firm grip on the game.
The halftime statistics said it all. The Pacers had gone 6-for-21 from three, barely shooting 28.5%.
Their three-point system, built around the team's entire tactical approach, had become a complete joke.
After the sides switched ends in the second half, the Pacers finally made slight adjustments under desperate circumstances.
They cut down on mindless three-point attempts and added more interior cuts and mid-range finishes.
Their offensive efficiency rose slightly, allowing them to claw back a few points.
But the holes in their defense remained impossible to patch.
In order to stockpile perimeter shooting resources, Bird had been forced to weaken the team's interior defensive rotations.
That adjustment made the Knicks' inside-out coordination even smoother.
Jordan began deliberately drawing double teams, then accurately distributing the ball to open teammates.
The Knicks' shooters blossomed everywhere on the perimeter, drilling consecutive momentum-killing threes to preserve their lead.
Li Fei held down the paint, grabbing defensive rebound after defensive rebound and launching fast-break attacks.
He did not need to erupt at full strength. Basic rim protection and playmaking alone sealed off every possible interior comeback by the Pacers.
In the latter half of the third quarter, Miller's mentality completely unraveled.
Facing the Knicks' airtight defense, he repeatedly forced up threes, trying to save