In the past, the New York Knicks would often face the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs.
The teams are about to play each other in the playoffs again, and it makes people think about the tough games they had in the 1990s. However, the Knicks are preparing to play against a team that has a modern style of play, even though the matchup is old-fashioned.
Tyrese Haliburton leads the NBA's highest-scoring offense, with Indiana scoring a lot more points than they did in the past Knicks-Pacers games.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks are expecting a tough matchup with the Pacers, who have their own unique style of playing basketball. Both teams are strong and determined to win.
Brunson helped the No. 2-seeded Knicks defeat Philadelphia in the first round, leading the Knicks to the East semifinals for the first time in consecutive seasons since the 1990s.
He scored 40 or more points in the last three games, making him the seventh player in NBA history with three straight 40-point games in the playoffs. In the regular season, he was the fourth-highest scorer and now leads all players in the postseason with 35.5 points per game.
The Pacers as a team score big. They led the league in points per game and also topped in field goal percentage and assists, reaching 140 points 11 times, which is an NBA record.
The sixth-seeded Pacers continued to score well in the playoffs, averaging 113 points while winning against No. 3 Milwaukee and reaching at least 120 points in all four victories during the six-game series.
The Knicks and Pacers had intense matchups in the past, including Game 7 victories and Eastern Conference finals. The most recent meeting was in 2013, where the Pacers knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs.
In the 41 games played by both teams, neither team scored 120 points or more.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle described the matchup as very intense and emphasized the need for resilience and unity.
THIS SEASON
The Pacers won 2 out of 3 games against New York and scored close to their season average of 123.3 points per game, including a 140-point victory in December, when the Knicks were undermanned after a trade. Brunson averaged 35.7 points in that game.
BRUNSON VS. HALIBURTON
The point guards were teammates last summer at the Basketball World Cup and both had their best seasons in the NBA. They were both All-Stars, with Haliburton leading the league with 10.9 assists per game.
EX-RAPTOR VS. EX-RAPTOR
Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby started the season as players on the Toronto team, but then they were traded. Anunoby went to the Knicks in December, and Siakam went to Indiana in January. The Knicks are 24-5 when Anunoby plays, and they might need him now to defend his former teammate. He has been playing well in the playoffs, scoring at least 35 points and getting 10 rebounds in consecutive games.
BRUNSON VS. CARLISLE
Brunson started his career in Dallas playing for Carlisle, who spoke highly of his character and said they had a great three years together. Brunson was asked if he felt extra motivated after an ESPN podcast mentioned his frustration over playing only 10 minutes in a Game 7 loss to the Clippers in 2021.
“In all honesty, I said this before, now that we are in the playoffs, there is no extra motivation,” Brunson said. “It is what it is, the past is the past. Rick welcomed me to this league and helped me become the player I am today. A coach needs to make decisions for the team. Whatever happened, happened, and we’re moving forward from there.”
OBI’S OPPORTUNTITY
Obi Toppin was the Knicks’ first-round pick in 2020 and was well-liked by the fans, but he rarely got to play much behind All-Star Julius Randle. He scored 21 points, his highest in the playoffs, in the game that secured victory over Milwaukee. Now, he is going back to his original NBA home.
“They’re one of the toughest teams in the league,” Toppin said. “They’ve had that identity for many years, and we have to match that toughness and play our style of basketball. I think we’ll be good at that.”
