"It is a must-win for the Pacers. If they come back here, they're gonna get another ass-kicking like they had tonight," Barkley said after the New York Knicks never trailed in winning Game 5 111-94.

With Tyrese Haliburton limited to 8 points, the Pacers failed in their 1st attempt to earn the 2nd NBA Finals trip in franchise history, falling 111-94 to the Knicks in Game 5.

In a win-or-go-home scenario at Madison Square Garden, Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson outplayed Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to stave off elimination and avoid an embarrassing five-game series loss.

Still, the evidence is right in front of them: The teams advancing and the teams booking flights to Cancun have distinct differences. The NBA will always be a star’s league. But the teams that win it all? They’re deeper than the headlines.

The Knicks won on their home floor for the first time in the series and prevented the Pacers from earning the second NBA Finals trip in franchise history.

The Knicks trail the Pacers 3-1 in the Conference Finals as the series shifts back to New York for Game 5 Thursday. Expect 'Celebrity Row' to show up.

Perhaps Mellencamp was bothered by McAfee's profanity, or the fact that he called out these famous Knicks fans by name. The "Hurts So Good" singer says he believes the Pacers had nothing to do with the stunt, despite McAfee being handed a microphone to broadcast his message.

But he was limited to eight points, six assists and two rebounds Thursday. The All-NBA point guard didn’t even have a basket in the first half, when the Pacers’ total of 45 points was just two more than the had in the first quarter of Game 4.