On Sunday, the NBA started an hour before the NFL with the New York Knicks hosting the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks were coming off their first loss of the season Friday at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. They made sure that wasn’t going to happen again, outclassing the Pacers in an 88-76 victory.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghged4EEKjc&w=560&h=315]
New York dominated Indiana behind a great performance from Carmelo Anthony, who scored 29 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Raymond Felton contributed 11 points and eight assists.
Last season, the Knicks endured chemistry issues and a coaching change en route to a first-round playoff exit, while the Pacers appeared cohesive and committed, pushing the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals.
This season, the roles seem to have reversed. The Knicks are clicking as a unit, while the Pacers are reeling, the wheels falling off their once promising bandwagon. Sunday’s loss dropped Indiana to 4-7.
Over the summer, Pacers president Larry Bird resigned after nine years, center Roy Hibbert and point guard George Hill were re-signed at a significant cap hit—Hibbert received a max contract for $58 million 
over four years.
Of course, star forward Danny Granger being injured doesn’t help matters. But Hibbert has yet to live up to his contract. He is averaging a meager 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game—not even a double-double.
Perhaps the Pacers can regroup. As it is, it seems as though they need to do some serious reflection in hopes of figuring something out before they dig themselves into a hole they can’t climb out of.