Ewing, his feet barely above the court, was an easy mark for Indiana's Dale Davis, who swatted the ball away. That fourth-quarter sequence epitomized a team that didn't leave its heart in Miami, but failed to bring its legs to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Dragging after a brutal second-round series with the Heat, New York was hardly ready for all the offensive weapons of the Pacers. Teetering on the edge of a blowout in the first half, the Knicks fought back to make it close.

But they lacked a finishing punch, fading down the stretch in the 102-88 loss.

"We weren't ready," said Latrell Sprewell, who led the Knicks with 22 points. "Although we got back in the game, we expended a lot of energy to get there."

The Knicks came out with all the intensity of a team playing the Clippers in mid-December. Maybe that was only natural, considering New York had rallied from a 3-2 deficit against the Heat, winning an emotional Game 7 on the road just two days earlier.

The Pacers, who needed six games to beat Philadelphia in the previous round, came into the conference finals with benefit of a four-day break.

It showed.

"We didn't make them work for their shots early," said Allan Houston, who scored 18 points in spite of a sore ankle. "They started feeling good offensively, getting shots, getting tip-ins that you just can't allow a team to get. The tone was set early. We never made adjustments."

After getting down and dirty with Miami, the Knicks couldn't cope with a team that got double-figure scoring from all five starters and the bonus of 22 points from reserve Austin Croshere.

"I think we understand now," said Larry Johnson, held to a mere three points. "Unfortunately, it took us a game to learn it. But I think we'll come out next time with more intensity."

New York still seemed to be suffering from jet lag when the game opened, falling behind 35-17 at the end of the first quarter and going down 42-23 early in the second. Ewing had been virtually invisible to that point, but he somehow mustered the energy to get the Knicks back in the game.

The 37-year-old center scored 11 points during a 20-6 spurt that closed the gap to a mere 52-48 at halftime, stunning the rowdy Conseco Fieldhouse crowd. Sprewell hit a 13-footer to open the second half and, suddenly, the Knicks were within a basket of tying things up for the first time since the opening tip.

Latrell Sprewell and Patrick Ewing weren't ready for the Pacers in Game 1.(AP)

But, like a boxer jabbing his way out of trouble, the Pacers kept New York away throughout the third quarter. Then, Indiana delivered the knockout to its weary opponent, which couldn't muster the comeback that has become its trademark in these playoffs.

"We've been in these situations before and always fight back to get over the hump," Sprewell said. "Today, it was not in the cards for us."

Sprewell had only one point in the final quarter. Ewing scored just three of his 21 points in the last 12 minutes.

The Knicks can only hope to find their legs before Game 2, just two days away. The Pacers expect nothing less.

"It's going to be a long series. It's going to be a dogfight," Pacers guard Reggie Miller predicted. "I'm more worried about Thursday's game because they will have time to prepare."

And rest.