Sure, the New York Knicks ended lengthy droughts for division titles and playoff series victories, so there were successes. [...] they surrounded Carmelo Anthony with players on their last NBA legs with a championship in mind, knowing the window to win one would slam shut quickly. The Knicks were eliminated Saturday by the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Amare Stoudemire has been unable to remain healthy the last two seasons, so it's unknown what the Knicks can get from the player who has $45 million left on his contract. Smith can become a free agent and would seem in line for a big raise from the $2.9 million he'd be scheduled to earn, but his horrendous 29 percent shooting and poor decisions over the final eight games could scare off potential suitors. The Knicks didn't want to worry about any future decisions after Saturday's abrupt end to their season, choosing instead to focus on the achievements that had been absent for so long in New York.

Roy Hibbert's block of Anthony's dunk attempt midway through the fourth quarter spurred an 11-2 run that rallied the Indiana Pacers to a 106-99 victory over the Knicks in Game 6 of their second-round series, sending them into their first Eastern Conference final since 2004. New York native Lance Stephenson scored nine points in the run for the Pacers, finishing with a playoff career-high 25. With players from both teams standing on the court as the final seconds ticked off and Pacers fans roaring in appreciation, the sellout crowd wasted little time breaking into chants of "Beat The Heat!" For Indiana, it sets up a postseason rematch with the defending NBA champs, the team that eliminated them last May after the Pacers had taken a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals. With Granger missing all but five games this season because of the lingering knee injury, the Pacers put an even greater emphasis on playing defense and it showed. Indiana led the league in rebounding, defensive field goal percentage and defensive 3-point percentage while finishing second in points allowed per game during the regular season. Hill finished with just 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting but had five rebounds and four assists, and kept the Pacers composed enough to commit only nine turnovers — 10 fewer than Thursday night's loss in New York. David West added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Hibbert finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, none bigger than the stuff on Anthony that changed the game. After George grabbed the rebound off of Hibbert's block, Stephenson took a pass from West and scored on a layup to tie the score at 92 with 4:51 left in the game. Stephenson followed that with a steal and drove in for a layup, drawing a foul and completing a three-point play.

Roy Hibbert's block of Carmelo Anthony's dunk attempt midway through the fourth quarter spurred an 11-2 run that rallied the Pacers to a 106-99 victory in Game 6 of their second-round series, sending them into their first Eastern Conference final since 2004. New York native Lance Stephenson scored nine points in the run, finishing with a playoff career-high 25. With players from both teams standing on the court as the final seconds ticked off and Pacers fans roaring in appreciation, the sellout crowd wasted little time breaking into chants of "Beat The Heat!" For Indiana, it sets up a postseason rematch with the defending NBA champs, the team that eliminated them last May after the Pacers had taken a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals. With Granger missing all but five games this season because of the lingering knee injury, the Pacers put an even greater emphasis on playing defense and it showed. Indiana led the league in rebounding, defensive field goal percentage and defensive 3-point percentage while finishing second in points allowed per game during the regular season. Hill finished with just 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting but had five rebounds and four assists, and kept the Pacers composed enough to commit only nine turnovers — 10 fewer than Thursday night's loss in New York. David West added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Hibbert finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, none bigger than the stuff on Anthony that changed the game. Stephenson followed that with a steal and drove in for a layup, drawing a foul and completing a three-point play.