Knicks vs. Pacers Series Preview And Prediction

The Pacers may have finished the 2024-25 campaign as the fourth seed in the East, but that belies their talent level, as they battled a bunch of injuries early on (they went 10-15 in their first 25 games). Since the calendar flipped to January, Indiana has been a beast, posting a 34-14 to close out the regular season. 

They've played at an even higher level in the playoffs and buzzsawed their way to the Conference Finals, blowing past the Bucks in round one, and then shockingly crushing the Cavs in five.

Series schedule:
Game 1: Pacers at Knicks; Wednesday, May 21 (8 p.m., TNT)
Game 2: Pacers at Knicks; Friday, May 23 (8 p.m., TNT) 
Game 3: Knicks at Pacers; Sunday, May 25 (8 p.m., TNT) 
Game 4: Knicks at Pacers; Tuesday, May 27 (8 p.m., TNT) 
Game 5: Pacers at Knicks; Thursday, May 29 (8 p.m., TNT)*
Game 6: Knicks at Pacers; Saturday, May 31 (8 p.m., TNT)* 
Game 7: Pacers at Knicks; Monday, June 2 (8 p.m., TNT)*

For New York, this is an opportunity to exact some revenge on the club that ended their season inside Madison Square Garden in Game 7 last year. Yet, unlike 2024 (and unlike Indian's previous foes, Milwaukee and Cleveland), the Knicks are healthy this time around.

However, the Pacers are better than they were 12 months ago. 

This should be a fantastic series between two talented teams peaking at the right time.

And for added, extra spice, these two franchises have plenty of shared history. Each of the last four times the Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, they have played the Pacers (2025, 2000, 1999 and 1994).

Incredibly, neither team has made the NBA Finals without defeating the other in the Conference Finals.

When the Knicks advanced to the Finals in 1994, they beat the Pacers in the ECF.
When the Knicks advanced to the Finals in 1999, they beat the Pacers in the ECF.
When the Pacers advanced to the Finals in 2000, they beat the Knicks in the ECF.

What more could we ask for?

Let's dig into this preview by breaking down each positional matchup:

🏀 Point Guard:
Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Haliburton

The "Legend of Brunson" continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing down. After a brilliant first-round performance against Detroit, The Captain helped end the Celtics' season by averaging 26.2 points (the most by any player on either team) and 7.2 assists (the most by any player) vs. Boston in the semis. 

With the possibility of each game between these two closely matched clubs coming down to the wire, Knicks fans have to feel confident knowing the game's premier closer is on their side. Brunson has scored 114 points in the fourth quarter this postseason. No other player in the league has more than 76 (Anthony Edwards ranks second). Brunson has scored 43 clutch points. No other player has more than 26 (Nikola Jokic ranks second).