The mix could not only be seen on the court in the religious overtones of Jackson's many triumphant gestures, but in the Indiana Pacers locker room after Wednesday night's game. They had come back from an 18-point deficit in the second quarter to defeat the New York Knicks 88-79 to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

"No weapon form against me shall prosper," said a hand-written sign taped to Jackson's locker.

"1 mo," somebody wrote on the locker room board, circling it for emphasis.

The Pacers are one game away from their first trip to the NBA Finals after a game punctuated by Travis Best's 24 points and a new gesture introduced by Jackson on national television. Larry Johnson of the Knicks makes an "L" with his arms to celebrate. Jackson made a cross with his arms.

In the past, coach Larry Bird has frowned on Jackson shimmying after baskets. Jackson said he could care less what anyone thinks about his latest gesture.

To him, seven assists, zero turnovers and 11 points didn't say enough.

"You want me to do an 'M'?" Jackson said, referring to the first letter of his name. "There's nothing wrong with an 'L' (Johnson's gesture), so there's nothing wrong with a cross."

To the fans at the Conseco Fieldhouse, there was a lot wrong with the scoreboard with 10:42 left in the second quarter. The Pacers trailed 37-19 with the series headed for New York and a potentially decisive Game 6 on Friday.

Some of the fans booed. The players and coaches said they heard. But Bird said he wasn't upset at his team.

"I couldn't ask the guys to play any harder in the first quarter," Bird said. "I told them if they just hung in there, we would cut that lead down in a hurry."

The Knicks, who made their first eight shots in the game, cooled off. The Pacers limited them to only eight points in the second quarter, the fourth-fewest points scored in a quarter in NBA playoff history.

At halftime, Indiana led 42-40.

"It says a lot about the character of this basketball team," Jackson said. "We've been questioned. Now's the time to say, 'Wow,' because we could have folded."

Earlier in the series, there appeared to be a split among the Pacers. Jalen Rose openly questioned the team's defensive strategy of not double-teaming.

"I keep telling the guys it's not how we play defense," Bird said after Wednesday's game, "it's how hard we play defense."

Bird said he knew he would get 48 minutes of intense effort no matter what. Jackson said he took his inspiration from his faith -- and a pair of high-profile radio talk show hosts in New York. Jackson, a native New Yorker, said his brother reported to him that his skills were being described on the Gotham airwaves as waning. He took it as disrespect, and scored eight of his points in the third quarter.

Jackson did not, however, consider it a "defining moment" for the Pacers.

Larry Bird yells at his troops as they charge back in the second quarter.(AP)

"For people just jumping on board, this is a defining moment," Jackson said. "We've done it before. But now we're one win away from being in Macy's window."

There would be no exciting finish on this day. Noted Knicks fan Spike Lee was shown on television in the stands, sheepishly covering much of his head and face with an orange Knicks towel. On other occasions, the towel is waved in celebration.

"It'll be fun," Jackson said of Game 6. "But I don't know if it'll be as fun as seeing Spike Lee over there like a little girl -- with a towel over his head."

It was a funny remark, but Jackson's mood turned when a reporter suggested that his gestures on the court might be interpreted by some as a belief that God is taking sides in the Eastern Conference finals.

"We spend time in chapel before the game," Jackson said. "Some of the Knicks are in there with us. We're praying and holding hands together. As long as God gets the glory. How can I sit here and tell you that God wanted Charlie Ward to win last year over me? That's not what it's all about."

A question on another topic was asked, but Jackson interrupted to continue his thought.

"It's OK to cuss, but all of a sudden somebody throws up a cross, and there's problems," he said. "I don't have no answers for those idiots."