Pacers set to face Knicks for spot in NBA Finals

After beating the top two seeds in the East, this epic postseason rivalry is back on with both the Pacers and Knicks trying to take advantage of a championship window cracking open.

The Pacers are back in the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Cavs, 114-105 in Game 5. The 4-1 series win afforded the Pacers a full week off to rest and rev up for what will be an emotionally charged ECF series against the Knicks starting on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Pacers rallied from an early 19-point deficit, wearing out the Cavs to take control of the game at winning time. Tyrese Haliburton sparked the comeback with a laser light show from behind the arc in the second quarter when he made five consecutive threes with increasing degrees of difficulty.

Pascal Siakam and Thomas Bryant (yep) came up big in the third quarter as the Pacers surged ahead, then held off the Cavs’ (and Donovan Mitchell’s in particular) desperation effort to rally late. As impressive as Mitchell was, fighting through a balky ankle to finish with 35 points, he was also gassed which showed up late at the free throw line. Finally, Myles Turner hit a dagger 3-ball to end the proceedings and allow the Pacers to march on to the ECF.

The Knicks took six games to finish off the Celtics, and despite the C’s losing Jayson Tatum in Game 4, the Knicks absolutely gutted out two wins to begin the series in Boston which put them in control of the series. The blowout win in Game 6 to clinch the series was well earned, well before Tatum went down, setting up another playoff series with the Pacers.

This will be the ninth playoff series between the Pacers and Knicks dating back to the spring of 1993. The prior eight matchups (Pacers have won 5 of the 8) included seven 7-game series and one 5-game series. For an idea of how competitive the battles have been, the teams have played 48 (Pacers lead overall 26-22) of a possible 54 games including all seven last year which the Pacers eventually won in similar fashion to how they just beat the Cavs.

The Knicks have home court advantage, like last year when they won the first two at the Garden. Like last year, Reggie Miller will be on the call and when the MSG crowd turned vulgar on Uncle Reg AND Josh Hart tried to rub it in to the Pacers legend, the Pacers were able to get the last laugh with Reggie noting the turning point.

Game 3 in Indiana will be a vintage Racers and Pacers situation with tip time at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 25, roughly five hours after the checkered flag flies at the Indianapolis 500. The month of May is so glorious in Indy, but with the Pacers in the playoff mix, it adds to the fantastic vibes. Pacers vs. Knicks? Adds an electrifying element to to month that has the city buzzing already.

The postseason history of these teams is so rich it is impossible not to get hyped for the possibilities. Both teams have made it to the NBA Finals once during this 32-year span, beating one another to get there, but neither was able to earn the coveted title. The East is suddenly unsettled after the Jayson Tatum injury and the Pacers sending the Bucks (and Giannis) and the Cavs home early. One of these teams will make the NBA Finals.

While some of us have vivid memories of all of the major postseason moments between these teams, to the point where the years and the moments seem to glom together in one big series, younger generations may only know the lore. I implore you to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 by Dan Klores called Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks which you can find on ESPN or Netflix. Will get you in the mood, if you need to get in the mood.

As the Pacers prepare to face the Knicks, it appears they are fully healthy and will obviously be rested. As usual, trying to keep pace in the rebounding battle while taking care of the ball on the offensive end is a point of emphasis Rick Carlisle and the players have been raising with the media.

The Knicks blowing out the C’s, 119-81 to clinch the series had Gotham celebrating like they won a title. Of course, they did make the ECF for the first time in 25 years AND beat the defending champion Celtics to do so. Certainly worth celebrating, but all of those positive vibes should have the hype resting on the Knicks with the Pacers sliding in the comfort zone as underdogs in the series.

While these teams don’t play similar styles offensively, they both rely on high energy and effort with a strong dose of toughness to be at their best. The Pacers have been playing at a different level offensively when they can control the pace. The Big Number podcast with Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine dove into some of the absurd numbers that show how the Pacers have been succeeding, starting simply with their effectiveness passing the ball and sharing the wealth.

In fact, Haberstroh referred to the Pacers as the Passers to open the pod, explaining that the Pacers are averaging 337 passes per game in the postseason, with over 400 more passes than the Cavs in the second round. Seems absurd, but that style has all five starters for the Pacers averaging over 14 points per game for the first time in the postseason since the 1987 Celtics. Check out the full pod for even more interesting numbers from the Pacers.

All of that has been great for the Pacers so far, but a new series cleans the slate and makes those first two games at the Garden the next big test. Last year, the Pacers were up for the ECF challenge in the Boston Garden, but then faded late in the clutch. Those scars seemed to be a driving force for the Pacers all season and now they’ve earned their way back to lean on that experience and try to take the next step.

That next step is a doozy and should make for a great series with the Knicks.