SUMMARY
- The Knicks and Pacers have a rivalry going back more than 30 years.
- All the iconic moments over the years from this matchup between the Knicks and Pacers.
The second-round matchup between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers is on the verge of beginning. To those who might not be following the NBA playoffs this season, the Knicks managed to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs thanks to the elite level of play from Jalen Brunson.
Similarly, the Indiana Pacers got past the Milwaukee Bucks with the help of Tyrese Haliburton. Considering that their opponents were considered more experienced and favored to win, these teams making it deeper into the playoffs is a refreshing sight for NBA fans.
It might interest younger members of the basketball community to hear that the Pacers and Knicks have had a rivalry since the 1990s. As both teams face off once again, let us take a closer look at some of the most iconic moments of their playoff history.
How Reggie Miller caused Knicks star John Starks to lose his cool
The rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks began in the early 1990s. Led by Reggie Miller and Patrick Ewing, both teams had established themselves as postseason contenders and matched up multiple times in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Both teams matched up in the first round of the playoffs in 1993. The Knicks finished the season with the best record in the East and secured the #1 seed. On the other hand, the Pacers finished 8th and barely made it in. During Game 3 of this series, John Starks of the Knicks did not accept a handshake from Reggie Miller during the pregame ceremony.
This led to Miller taking things personally and dominating that game. Starks grew increasingly frustrated and ended up headbutting Reggie Miller in that game. While the Pacers did play well, the Knicks were favored to win and did just that, advancing to the next round of the playoffs.Reggie Miller’s choking taunt
The Pacers and Knicks matched up once again in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Heading into the 4th quarter of Game 5 in this series, the Knicks had a huge lead. However, Reggie Miller dominated the final stretch of the game and helped the Pacers win.
To make matters more interesting, Reggie taunted the Knicks with a choking notion as the Pacers cut down the Knicks’ lead to symbolize choking the lead away. Despite this impressive performance from him, the Knicks defeated the Pacers and made it to the NBA Finals. However, they ended up losing to the San Antonio Spurs.Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds vs the Knicks
The very next year, the Pacers and Knicks faced off for the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. In Game 1 of this series, the Knicks were poised to win the game. However, Miller managed to turn things around singlehandedly and scored 8 points in the final seconds of this game to get his team the win.
Although similar cases have occurred in the past such as with Tyrese Maxey in this year’s playoffs, Miller also managed to win this series and help his team advance to the next round of the playoffs. However, Indiana lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.Both teams matched up in 1998, 1999, and 2000 with the Pacers winning 2 of those 3 matchups. While Indiana did manage to make it to the NBA Finals in 2000, they ended up losing to the Kobe and Shaq Los Angeles Lakers.
The Carmelo Anthony vs Paul George era
After their matchup in the 2000 playoffs, the Pacers and Knicks did not meet again for several years. However, the teams did face off once again in the 2013 playoffs led by Paul George and Carmelo Anthony respectively. Although the Knicks played quite well, they ended up losing to the Pacers in 6 games.
Now, the teams will face off again after more than a decade since their last postseason matchup. Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson are the new faces for their franchises and are looking to continue this rivalry and help their team win. Fans are left wondering who will emerge victorious this time.