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Croshere outscores Knicks' bench
Posted: Wednesday May 24, 2000 12:59 AM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Austin Croshere, limited to one minute of playoff action in his first two seasons, came off the bench Tuesday night to lead the Indiana Pacers where they've never been before. Croshere matched his career-high with 22 points as Indiana defeated New York 102-88 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. It was the first time in five trips to the conference finals that Indiana has won the first game of the series. The 6-foot-10, 242-pound Croshere picked apart New York's defense, capitalizing on open shots to go 7-of-10 from the field, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range. One year ago, Marcus Camby dominated the Pacers inside as the Knicks eliminated Indiana in conference finals in six games. This year they asked Croshere to limit Camby's effectiveness, and he did. "Camby was their 'X' factor last year, and he's got to do something for us this year," said Reggie Miller, whose 19 points was the second highest among six Pacers to score in double figures. "He did a good job of keeping Camby off the boards, and he did a good job of extending their defense." Croshere had been listed as probable for the game because of a sore ankle and foot. "He had a great all-around game," Indiana coach Larry Bird said of Croshere. "His number-one job is to keep Camby off the boards, which is a tough assignment for anyone. His defense, his rebounding, his effort was very good." Dale Davis contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds to the victory. "I can't say enough about the effort he gave us," Davis said of Croshere. "That's the type of effort it's going to take for us to win." While Croshere was scoring 22 points in 28 minutes, the Knicks got only 10 points from their bench. "They left me open. Everybody was out there sinking shots, and they had to leave somebody open with their double-teaming," Croshere said. "I'm sure I wasn't their primary focus. . . . That's something I've tried to take advantage of throughout the year." Croshere compared himself to Camby, who averaged 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds against Indiana in last year's conference finals. "He was unproven last year. I'm unproven this year," he said. "Watching it [playoffs] for the last two years has created a big desire for me to pull my weight through this series." Croshere's scoring was timely. When New York pulled within six points late in the third quarter, he made two free throws. He then hit three 3-pointers in the final seven minutes to kill New York's hopes for a comeback. "We were losing him a lot. He was getting a lot of uncontested 3-point shots. We knew he was capable of having a big night," Camby said. "We've got to be more aware of him Thursday." Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy wasn't surprised by the Pacers' effectiveness on offense. "They were a very good offensive team last year. They're by far the best offensive team in the East," Van Gundy said. "Their second unit is very good because everybody can shoot the ball, put it on the floor and make a play. He [Croshere] was outstanding tonight."
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