One of the great 90s rivalries in the Eastern Conference may be on the cusp of revival. Reggie Miller and Patrick Ewing are long gone, but in their place are dynamic All-Star guards Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson.
This is set up to be one of the most entertaining series of the second round, featuring great coaching battles between Tom Thibodeau and Rick Carlisle alongside star power on both teams. Each side also features a former Raptor who has been extremely productive since the trade deadline — O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam may end up guarding each other in this series and could both be difference-makers.
New York and Indiana both took care of business in the first round. This should be an even more competitive matchup. Here are the keys to the series.
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The Pacers haven’t had quite as much oomph in the second half of the season. Siakam has been terrific, but the loss of Buddy Hield hurt them more than they probably expected. And Haliburton’s shooting still doesn’t look quite right after battling a hamstring injury for the past few months.
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The Knicks, on the other hand, have been cruising despite losing Julius Randle for the year. Anunoby has been a plus-minus god, the Villanova contingent has played the best basketball of their careers and Brunson has been at a fringe MVP level to close out the year.
The Pacers were able to put up huge scoring outbursts against this Knicks defense during the regular season. They averaged 132.5 points in their two wins. They did it through a balanced attack — Haliburton, Siakam, Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith all averaged over 18 points in that season series.
This isn’t the same Knicks team from the beginning of the year, though. Thibodeau is going to have his team prepared to defend in transition, slow down the game and grind out wins.
Prediction: Knicks in six
Odds for this series have not yet been released via BetMGM. Check back shortly for updates.
The Knicks and Pacers squared off three times, with the Pacers taking the series lead 2-1.
There were some great moments in those games. Haliburton had 22 points and a franchise-record 23 assists in that first matchup. Brunson fought through an eye injury to drop 40 in the second. The Pacers shot a sizzling 61.0 percent from the field to take the third game against a decimated Knicks squad that started Taj Gibson at center.
Any Thibodeau team is going to make you feel them. This one is particularly physical.
Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein are bruising centers. Josh Hart is going to be throwing his body all over the floor. Brunson was No. 2 in the league in charges drawn this season.
That physicality manifests itself on the offensive glass. The Knicks were the best offensive-rebounding team in the league during the regular season, averaging 12.7 per game. The Pacers were No. 26 in defensive rebounding. Unsurprisingly, that was a huge edge for the Knicks during the regular season matchups — they averaged 14.7 per game against the Pacers, boosted by their astounding 24 in their Feb. 1 win.
“We got bullied on the glass, and it’s disappointing because we’re a very capable rebounding team and this is the main thing that we talked about with this game,” Carlisle told reporters after that game. “So we failed on the boards, for sure, and it’s obviously the difference in the game.”
The Knicks are going to want to slow this game down and keep it grimy. The Pacers succeed by playing at a fast pace. Whoever controls that aspect of the game is going to win this series.
* If neccessary
