It’s Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Haliburton in a folding-chair fight of an Eastern Conference Finals. Spike Lee and Reggie Miller rejoice.
The New York Knicks haven’t ventured this far through the postseason in 25 years. The last time they won an NBA title was May 10, 1973 — when the No. 1 song in America was “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” and the box office was topped by Bruce Lee’s first leading role. It’s been a long, long time coming for the five boroughs and tri-staters.
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Their opponents, the Indiana Pacers, are pursuing their first Larry O’Brien Trophy in franchise history. The team won three championships in the now-defunct ABA, but they’re 0-1 all-time in NBA Finals bids (falling to the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers in 2000). Neither side is taking this playoff run for granted, and the hype is deafening as we reach Wednesday night’s series opener.
How to watch Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks Game 1
- Venue: Madison Square Garden — New York
- Time: 8 p.m. ET Wednesday
- TV: TNT
- Streaming: Max
- Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Pacers at Knicks Game 1
Series odds: Knicks -155, Pacers +130
First, our acknowledgements. For Knicks fans:
And for Pacers loyalists:
What a matchup. New York and Indy fashioned a compelling rivalry throughout the 1990s. It’s a defining animosity for a whole generation of basketball lifers. And remember, these teams met in the second round of last year’s playoffs, with Haliburton’s underdog Pacers squeaking past a hobbled Knicks group in seven games.
Jalen Brunson takes the floor averaging close to 29 points and eight assists in 12 playoff games. The reigning Clutch Player of the Year made signature moments in each of the first two rounds — the walk-off cross-up in Detroit and the sublime Game 4 comeback versus Boston. He’ll have a permanent green light to carry the Knicks onward, boasting a 30.7 percent usage rate thus far. The only other Knicks regular with usage above 20 percent is Karl-Anthony Towns … and he made three total 3s across six games last round.
The “Wing Stop” trio of Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are thriving off-ball and excelling off switches. Mitchell Robinson has been a second-unit difference-maker on the glass and in rotations. Opponents are shooting just 37 percent in clutch minutes, and New York is absolutely dominating second-half play overall. With Brunson going superhero mode, the wings with seemingly endless lung capacity and the defense constricting in the halfcourt, this team is built to eke out close wins.
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But the Pacers have been here before and are playing with fearlessness. Indiana reached the Eastern Conference Finals last year as the No. 6 seed, and it looks even better in this iteration as the fourth seed. Like Brunson, Haliburton has been a highlight factory — his Game 2 stunner in Cleveland deserves Proper Noun crystallization, and his series-ender versus Milwaukee was the platonic ideal of basketball iciness.
Indiana leads the postseason in 2-point shooting (56.5 percent), 3-point shooting (40.6 percent) and assisted buckets (29.7 per game). Its balanced offense toppled the top-seeded Cavs, and it starts this third round with all five starters averaging between 14 and 19 points. Pascal Siakam has been very efficient as an inside-out lead option, while Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are each balling beyond expectation. Playoff Nembhard is a provable phenomenon, as the Knicks know better than anyone else.
It will be fascinating to watch Myles Turner and Towns match up. Turner had at least three blocks in three of the five Cavaliers contests, and he’s averaging almost two made 3s per playoff game.
Game 2 is slated for Friday, then the series shifts to Indianapolis for Sunday’s Game 3.
Expert picks
On this day (May 21) in NBA Playoffs history
1986 — Rockets 114, Lakers 112: Ralph Sampson’s catch-and-shoot buzzer-beater sunk Showtime and propelled Houston to the Finals.
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Jalen Brunson: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
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