Karl-Anthony Towns hoping to create his own legendary Knicks moment in Game 5

The most famous moment in Knicks history wasn’t shown live on national television and it happened long before the majority of today’s Knicks fans were born.

Still, anyone who has ever cheered for the Knicks — whether it be during the Walt Frazier era or Jalen Brunson era or somewhere in between — can give play by play of Willis Reed’s emotional hobble through the tunnel for Game 7 of the Knicks-Lakers NBA Finals in 1970 like they had been there sitting courtside eating a 50-cent hotdog.

The fact that this 55-year-old tunnel walk is still the most legendary moment in Knicks history is a telling comment on the franchise’s lack of legendary moments over the years. Yet, another Knicks big man, Karl-Anthony Towns had a chance Thursday night to add the team’s lore when he joined his teammates on the floor for the must-win Game 5 of their Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers, despite having been listed as questionable on the team’s injury report with a left knee contusion.

Towns’ 20-point outburst in the fourth quarter of Game 3 in Indiana likely saved the Knicks from an embarrassing sweep. An aggressive, attacking Towns is the one thing the Pacers haven’t had an answer for in this series. So, even though Towns’ status wasn’t announced until 30 minutes before tipoff, there was little doubt he would be on the court.

“Oh, he’s playing,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said with a slight eye roll in his pregame news conference.

Towns certainly looked fairly spry in the first quarter. On back-to-back possessions midway through the period, he showcased his unique offensive skills by hitting a three-pointer from the top of the circle and then after an Andrew Nembhard miss, drove hard to the basket to give Knicks a 17-11 lead.

Yet, it’s hard to deny how much pressure Towns was under entering Game 5. With the Knicks down, 3-1, in the series, the mood of the city was fairly downbeat with fans looking for reasons that their team was struggling against the Pacers after beating the Celtics in six games.

Given that most believed it wasn’t realistic to expect the Knicks to win three in a row, most of the talk on social media and sports shows centered on what the Knicks needed to do in the offseason, instead of what they need to pull off a must-win Game 5.

The Knicks franchise took a big step forward by getting the team’s first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. Yet, having tasted success, it’s clear that fans want more. Fingers of blame were pointing everywhere. Even Brunson, one of the most beloved Knicks players in franchise history, was getting some heat for his defensive play and turnovers in Game 4.

Yet, whenever the dust settles from this postseason run, it will likely be Towns who is put most under the microscope.

The Knicks reconfigured their team this offseason in order to add a second All-Star alongside Brunson. By many measures, Towns has had a big-time year. Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the regular season en route to a selection on the All-NBA third team. Then, for the second straight year, he helped lead a team to the conference finals, having done so last year with Minnesota.

Towns has an incredible combination of offensive skills. He is one of the best shooting big men in the history of the league, he can put the ball on the floor and score in the post. Yet, he is such a liability on defense that the Knicks have had to change their starting lineup to play Mitchell Robinson alongside him.

This has led many to wonder whether he is the right piece to play alongside Brunson. The Knicks’ two best offensive players are both challenged defensively. What’s more, Towns tends to play his best when Brunson is not on the floor. Town scored 10 points in the portion of the second quarter Thursday night when Brunson was on the bench.

Whether Brunson is at fault for not getting Towns more involved in the offense may not matter. This team is built around Brunson, not Towns, and you can bet if the Knicks think they can get creative and package him in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they certainly won’t hesitate.

Entering Game 5, that was far from Towns’ mind as he gutted it out with a sore left knee. It wasn’t quite a Willis Reed moment, but early on it was what the Knicks needed to set the tone of a game they needed to win.