I do give credit to D.J. Augustin as he’s filled in solidly for Hill when he had to miss some time. But the loss of Hill leaves a big void at point guard, especially in the back up role.  Who steps in when Augustin has to sit down?  Hill is good for so much out on the floor.  He’s solid defensively.  He’s good for a basket when the Pacers need it. He’s a great passer, and general floor leader when it comes down to it. He’s the guy out there pointing out where guys need to be, and getting the ball to them when they have that opportunity.  Augustin is not as solid of a passer as Hill, and that’s a loss right there.

There’s just a toughness to Hill when he’s playing.  He’s got that look in his eye when you know he’s ready to step it up and lead the Pacers.  That’s what the Pacers need tonight.  They need to be up ready to go for this game, so they can close out the series, and get to their destination of Miami and the Eastern Conference Finals.  If this series goes to game seven, all bets are off.  Even though I imagine the Knicks would put together this fantastic effort in front of their home crowd, and I don’t know if this Pacers team is ready for something of that magnitude.  Most guys are just entering their first taste of more playoff minutes.  So it’s important to have Hill and the Pacers at their best this evening in front of the home crowd ready to send the Knicks of New York back to their home.

If there’s someone to step into that general leadership role on the floor, then I would look to David West.  Tomorrow night, he needs to demand the ball, and work his way to the basket as much as possible.  Paul George is also on that list of guys who need to be aggressive.  I do think the Pacers had that look of wanting to push the matter of closing out last night, and maybe they pushed too much.  I’m not saying they were over confident, but more they pressed too much to try to get back into the game, and weren’t focused on doing the right things.  But playing at home in front of the home fans with another chance to close out should help settle this team.

I know tomorrow night won’t be an easy game, but this team should be able to do it.  D.J. Augustin had filled in a few times for Hill and performed solid.  He needs to be at the top of his game tomorrow night.  David West is a guy I would look to as someone who’ll step up and lead this team.  If Hill is able to play, that’s a huge boost to the team even if he’s not fully ready to go.  But having Hill out there is enough. Roy Hibbert needs to look to be in that scoring mode as he’s looked better than Tyson Chandler at times, and what better time than in game six.  It’s the perfect opportunity for the Pacers to close out the Knicks, and move on to that mountain of a team the Miami Heat.  I am not trying to look ahead, but if things play out right for the Pacers, no reason why they can’t figure out how to pull off the win tomorrow night.