This is the eighth time that the Knicks and the Pacers face each other in the playoffs, and the first time since 2013 when a block from Roy Hibbert on a dunk attempt by Carmelo Anthony during Game 6 turned the series in favor of Indiana. This rivalry originated in the 90s, with six memorable and physical face-offs.
It all started in 1993, with a John Starks headbutt on Reggie Miller. In 1994 and 1995, it was Reggie Miller who had two iconic moments, beating Spike Lee then scoring 8 points in 9 seconds the following year during Game 1 to pull off an incredible heist. In 1999, it was Larry Johnson's famous 4-point action that capsized Madison Square Garden and allowed the Knicks to reach the NBA Finals. The Pacers got their revenge the following year, reaching the Finals for the first time in their history.
The two franchises therefore find themselves again in the playoffs with two All-Star leaders, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton, headlining. The face-to-face between the two players has everything to reignite this rivalry. We also remember of Wally Szczerbiak's releaseformer NBA player and analyst for a New York channel, who implied that Tyrese Haliburton had stolen Jalen Brunson's All-Star spot in 2023.
But like their respective leaders, the two teams play a diametrically opposed style. Behind Tyrese Haliburton, the NBA's best passer, the Pacers are the team that plays the fastest in the league. With the methodical Jalen Brunson at the helm, the Knicks are the team that plays the slowest.
The Pacers have won two of three games against New York this season but the two teams have not faced each other since February 10.
PRESENTATION OF THE KNICKS
The holders: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein
The replacements: Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks.
The absents : Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic
The coach: Tom Thibodeau
Second in the East at the end of the regular season, the Knicks inherited a difficult first round against the Sixers of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. After a completely crazy series, the Knicks won 4-2 (cumulative score: 650-649!) but had to draw on their resources to get Philadelphia out of the playoffs. Mitchell Robinson was hampered by a sprained ankle and Bojan Bogdanovic is out for the rest of the playoffs after stepping on Nicolas Batum's foot.
The Knicks, who already have to do without Julius Randle, nevertheless have the wind at their backs. Tom Thibodeau knew how to make the right adjustments against the Sixers, notably by using OG Anunoby on Joel Embiid when Isaiah Hartenstein was slowed down by fouls. They therefore begin this second round with the label of favorite.
THE STRONG POINT
– Jalen Brunson and the Nova Knicks. The beautiful story of the trio Brunson – DiVincenzo – Hart, teammates at Villanova University, continued during the first round. Everything obvious starts from Jalen Brunson. After two lackluster performances to start the first round, he dominated the rest of the series, finishing with an average of 35.5 points and 9 assists. The same averages as against Indiana this season. At his side, his two lieutenants were decisive. In addition to the 3-pointer that sent New York to the second round, Josh Hart was omnipresent and exemplary in his intensity, always grabbing valuable offensive rebounds. DiVincenzo was less visible, but his distance skill and his sense of cutting did a lot of harm to the Sixers. The Pacers have been warned.
THE WEAK POINT
– Bench depth. In Game 6 against the Sixers, Tom Thibodeau played six plus nine minutes only for “Deuce” McBride. We know that the Knicks coach will not hesitate to shoot his executives but can they string together another long series playing between 37 and 45 minutes per game? It will be interesting to see if Tom Thibodeau revives Precious Achiuwa, who had little playing time against Philadelphia in the first games of this second round. Without Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks can also be a candidate to watch if Tom Thibodeau decides to open his bench.
PRESENTATION OF THE PACERS
The holders: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
The replacements: TJ McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith, Doug McDermott
The absents : Bennedict Mathurin
The coach: Rick Carlisle
The Pacers wanted to meet the Bucks and they came out stronger. If they obviously benefited from the injury absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rick Carlisle's men gained experience during this first round. They came through in their two defeats, but they were able to respond each time. Tyrese Haliburton gained momentum as the series progressed, and Myles Tuner was fantastic, especially in the first five games where he shot 22 points and 47% from 3-point range.
However, things will get tough against the Knicks. Besides the absentees, Milwaukee was never really able to establish an identity this season. It's the complete opposite of New York. The Pacers will face the physical challenge that awaits them to try to reach the franchise's first conference final since 2014.
THE STRONG POINT
– No mess. The Pacers finished the season with the best assist-to-turnover ratio in NBA history. They continued their momentum in the first round of the playoffs, finishing number one in this field and setting the highest mark in the last thirty years. This statistic obviously says a lot about the impact of Tyrese Haliburton (19.7 points and 13.3 assists on average against New York this season), but not only that. In the first round, the Pacers had four days averaging more than four assists (Haliburton, McConnell, Nembhard, Siakam) and they all finished in the Top 5 for the best assist/lost ball ratio. The Knicks lost a lot of balls against the Sixers. The Pacers can therefore make them pay in the field.
THE WEAK POINT
– Defensive rebounding. During the regular season, the Knicks grabbed an offensive rebound on more than a third of their missed shots, the best mark in the NBA this season. They did even better in the first round, pounding the Sixers and a one-legged Joel Embiid. The Pacers were one of the worst teams in the NBA in defensive rebounding. There was some improvement in the first round against the Bucks, but the latter, what's more without Giannis, are not the lightning bolts of war on the rebound. The Knicks will put pressure on the Pacers throughout the series. Attention danger !
THE KEY TO THE SERIES
– Which team will succeed in dictating its pace? As we said in the introduction, these two teams have a diametrically opposed style. The Pacers want to play fast to ignite the match, the Knicks play by walking to put pressure on their opponent by banking on the talent of Jalen Brunson and offensive rebounds. In the playoffs, however, the pace always tends to drop, which favors New York. The Pacers were also able to notice this against the Bucks. While they played an average of 102 possessions in the regular season, they only played an average of 92 in the first round. The challenge for Indiana will therefore be to push the pace as soon as possible.
REGULAR SEASON
Indiana 2-1
– December 30 Pacers – Knicks (140-126)
– February 1st : Knicks – Pacers (109-105)
– February 10: Knicks – Pacers (111-125)
VERDICT
New York 4-2. The march between the diminished Bucks and the boosted Knicks promises to be difficult to overcome for the Pacers. If their defense has improved since the All-Star Game, they failed to slow down Jalen Brunson, defended by Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, during the regular season. On the other side, their attack will pass its biggest test. New York has more assets, more experience and will force Indiana to play an “old school” style worthy of the glory days of the Eastern Conference and this rivalry. We therefore see the Knicks winning to come back to level with the Pacers in their face-to-face in the playoffs (4-4), and heading to the Eastern Conference final.
CALENDAR
Game 1: in New York, Monday May 6 (1:30 a.m. Monday to Tuesday night)
Game 2: in New Yokr, Wednesday May 8 (02:00 in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday)
Game 3: at Indiana, Friday May 10 (1:00 a.m. Tuesday to Wednesday night))
Game 4: at Indiana, Sunday May 12 (9:30 p.m.)
Game 5: in New York, Tuesday April 14 (to be determined)*
Game 6: at Indiana, Friday May 17 (to be determined)*
Game 7: in New York, Sunday May 19 (to be determined)*
(* if necessary)
