Knicks vs. Pacers Eastern Conference Finals preview, breakdown, more

Nostalgia for the 1990s is at a fever pitch, and in New York City, the Knicks are helping to turn back the clock a bit.

For the first time since the turn of the millennium, both the Mets and Yankees are legitimate contenders, and the Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.

So, it’s only fitting that it is none other than the Indiana Pacers standing between them and their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. It was the Pacers, after all, who the Knicks beat 26 years ago and in 1994 to win the Eastern Conference crown.

It was also the same Pacers who deployed Reggie Miller in 1995 to stun the Knicks in Game 1 of the East semifinals — the same round in which last year’s Pacers pulled off the seven-game upset to end New York’s 2023-24 campaign.

What does the latest installment of this historic Eastern Conference rivalry have in store? If we are lucky, an awful lot.

Tale of the tape: Knicks vs. Pacers

Mikal Bridges steal Knicks Celtics OT Game 1 — Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

KNICKS	STAT	PACERS
115.8	Points per game	117.4
106.8	Playoff points per game	117.7
111.7	Points allowed per game	115.1
105.9	Playoff points allowed per game	112.2
42.6	Rebounds per game	41.8
43.0	Playoff rebounds per game	41.5
46.8%	FG%	48.8%
44.4%	Playoff FG %	50.1%
36.9%	3PT %	36.8%
35.8%	Playoff 3PT%	40.6%
97.64	Pace	100.76
95.3	Playoff pace	99.3

Tale of the tape: Playoff team leaders

Jalen Brunson Josh Hart Knicks Celtics Game 6 clinch — Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

KNICKS	STAT	PACERS
Jalen Brunson (28.8)	Points per game	Pascal Siakam (18.8)
Karl-Anthony Towns (11.3)	Rebounds per game	Aaron Nesmith (6.5)
Jalen Brunson (7.7)	Assists per game	Tyrese Haliburton (9.3)
Mikal Bridges (1.1)	Blocks per game	Myles Turner (2.5)
Jalen Brunson (2.8)	3-pointers made per game	Aaron Nesmith (2.7)

Stats courtesy of NBA.com

5 Storylines to watch

Contrasting styles

MIkal Bridges OG Anunoby block Jayson Tatum Game 2 Knicks Celtics — Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Pacers truly live up to their name in that they love to go fast. They push the pace, and they keep that frenetic intensity up at all times.

They have averaged four more possessions per game than the Knicks during the playoffs, deploy a full-court press defensively, and have used a rotation that features as many as 10 players.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have slowed their game down in the postseason to stress defense and have tightened their rotation to as few as seven players.

One of the most important flashpoints in this series will be who controls the pace, and it will play a huge role in deciphering who emerges on top.

The 3-ball

Aaron Nesmith Pacers — Aaron Nesmith Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Knicks have been inconsistent on both ends of the floor when it comes to 3-point shooting.

While they are shooting at a 35.8% clip from beyond the arc — including an alarming 3-of-19 showing from Karl-Anthony Towns — the Pacers are the best 3-point shooting team in the playoffs so far, converting at a 40.6% rate.

They will have opportunities to shoot the lights out of the Knicks in this series, a notion that was made obvious during Games 5 and 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal upset over the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics shot 44.9% from downtown in Game 5, but were held to a paltry 30% in Game 6.

Fully healthy Knicks

Mitchell Robinson Knicks Celtics Game 4 — Mitchell Robinson Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Last year’s loss to the Pacers in the East semis was undoubtedly a missed opportunity for the Knicks, especially after going up 2-0 in the series. But this was a team that was heavily hampered by injuries.

Julius Randle was out, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson missed considerable time, Josh Hart was playing through an abdominal injury, and Jalen Brunson broke his hand during Game 7.

There are no such issues this time around, as everyone on New York’s roster is a full go, which buoys the belief that this time around, things will be much different.

Revenge

Tyrese Haliburton pacers — Tyrese Haliburton Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is doing everything he can to lean into the Reggie Miller villain arc in an attempt to scribble his name in Knicks lore.

He will do nearly everything possible to get into an opponent’s head, which was on full display last season as he wore the Knicks down as the series went on. To top it all off, he wore a shirt with the classic image of Reggie Miller making the choking signal 30 years ago after Indiana knocked New York out.

Perhaps the Knicks are a bit more privy to Haliburton’s antics, but it won’t be far from the back of their minds.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ chance

Karl-Anthony Towns Knicks — Karl-Anthony Towns Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Towns has taken an understandable backseat to Brunson during these playoffs with the limiting of his versatility, especially from long range. But the All-Star big man has had Indiana’s number this season, averaging 30.3 points with 12 rebounds, and a 46.7% showing from 3-point land across three games.

He won’t have to guard smaller, playmaking stars like Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, which he had to do in the last series. Instead, it’s a like-for-like matchup with Myles Turner, whom he had plenty of success against.

An aggressive Towns could be the x-factor of this series, and take considerable pressure off Brunson’s shoulders in the process.