PREVIEW – Eastern Conference Finals: Knicks and Pacers, A Rivalry Renewed
The Eastern Conference Finals are here, and once again, it has come down to the Knicks and Pacers meeting in this high-stakes series.
The memories of Reggie Miller and Spike Lee from the 90s pop to mind this evening.
Last year’s playoff loss to the Pacers should add fuel to the fire for Jalen Brunson and company.
This is a battle between the Knicks and their current stars versus what has been described as the stars of tomorrow, featuring Tyrese Haliburton.
This series could potentially come down to a Game 7, as history has shown that when these teams meet in the playoffs, it usually goes at least six games.
The Knicks should be better prepared for this round with the Pacers, just based on the battles they have had to endure during this year’s playoffs.
Detroit got physical and showed the Knicks that it needed to be a more physical team, which paid dividends against Boston. The Boston series showed the Knicks that you must scratch and claw your way back into games, no matter what the outside noise is saying about your team. The playoffs like to teach you lessons, and you find out precisely what you and your team are made of during crunch time. Jalen Brunson is a star and rightfully deserves his Captain Clutch nickname.
This Knicks team, however, is better when Karl-Anthony Towns makes his presence known and stays out of foul trouble in the process. Mikal Bridges will need to be more consistent in this series, as the Pacers team likes to play fast and score a lot of points. OG Anunoby will need to show his offense on a nightly basis to go with his elite defensive talent.
The most significant question mark surrounding this playoff is how fatigue will affect both teams.
The Pacers have been off for a while since defeating the Cavs in a lopsided series. Coach Tom Thibodeau loves to employ his 7-man philosophy, and some fans were scratching their heads when he had his starters play in the fourth quarter, up by 30 against the Celtics. Injuries can cause playoff havoc, so it’s understandable for fans to be frustrated regarding the critique of coach Thibs. Having home court should help the Knicks in this series as it will be New York vs the world when they leave MSG. The video circulating on social media shows an Indiana Pacers fan being subjected to trash being thrown at him by Knicks fans. This leads me to two conclusions about the video. The rest of the country is watching and has been stating that they hope the Knicks lose this series.
Here is a fun fact, however: the fans who were throwing trash at the fans are not Knicks fans, to be honest. The Knicks fanbase handles themselves way better than lowering themselves to those types of reactions towards opposing fans.
To reach the finals, this team will have to compete even better than they did in the Boston series. To overcome the defending champs and then lose to the Pacers is an unfathomable thought to a Knicks fan.
This season has become a now-or-never type of season.
Yes, the Knicks are set up to compete for years to come; however, the playoffs are a straight-up crapshoot, and when you are this close to the finals, you have to take your foot off the brake and go all in to make a championship a reality. This is why the playoffs are so much fun yet so torturous when your team is struggling or having a bad game. Each game is magnified in the conference finals, and this season, a new champion will be crowned, as the last two champions suffered defeat in the previous round.
It’s time for New York to stand up and for the Knicks to reward their loyal fans for all the years they have supported the orange and blue through both the good and bad times.
A rivalry that has come full circle from the glory years of the 90s to last season’s playoffs. To exercise their playoff demons and bring a championship home, Jalen Brunson and company will need to eliminate the team that sent them home last year.
It’s payback time at the Garden starting tomorrow night, and it’s time to conquer the ghosts of playoff failure.
Let’s just hope Spike doesn’t give Haliburton the choke sign during the series. Go Knicks!
PHOTO: Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images
Discover more from New York Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
