Subscribe
Follow Us
It's only fitting that it's the New York Knicks that the Indiana Pacers will be facing in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. These two teams are sworn rivals due to their history; in fact, the Pacers have sent the Knicks home from the playoffs in four of their previous matchups, which should only make the chip on New York's shoulders that much bigger.
There should be plenty of fireworks in this series as both teams look to snap lengthy NBA Finals droughts; the Pacers last made it to the Finals 25 years ago (when they defeated the Knicks in the ECF) and the Knicks last advanced that deep into the playoffs 26 years ago (when it was them that knocked the Pacers out).
The Pacers and Knicks will battle like two heavyweights trading blows in the middle of the ring in Round 12 with the score card tied. There is not much separating these two sides, but here are a few factors that could swing the series in the Pacers' favor.
Here are some bold predictions for the Pacers and how they will fare in the latest edition of one of the NBA's most iconic rivalries.
Myles Turner does not score fewer than 20 points in any game this series
Myles Turner is beloved among Pacers fans for a good reason; he's been with the franchise since the start of his career, and he is workmanlike in the way he conducts his business even if he's been a constant on the trade block for nearly his entire career. Turner is also the perfect center for today's NBA; he can knock down threes consistently, can protect the rim, and is mobile enough to cover a ton of ground on the perimeter.
If there's anyone who should reap the rewards of his loyalty, it's Turner, and he is certainly doing his part in bringing Indiana this deep into the playoffs once more. In their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Turner was brilliant, exposing the holes in the Cavs' defense by being a reliable scoring option who made the dagger triple that officially sealed Cleveland's playoff exit.
Outside of the Pacers' Game 3 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, Turner hasn't had a horrific game in this year's playoffs. And against the Knicks, Turner could very well end up being a major scoring option for the Pacers.
It's not quite clear how the Knicks will configure their matchups, but one would think that Karl-Anthony Towns will start off as Turner's primary defender. A Tyrese Haliburton-Turner two-man game could then lead to plenty of open pick and pop triples, unless the Knicks decide to switch. But will the Knicks want to switch Towns onto Haliburton? Haliburton made mincemeat of Jarrett Allen in the previous round, and Allen is a better defender than Towns is.
Perhaps the Knicks then shuffle around their matchups and have Towns on someone like Aaron Nesmith. Turner would then have a major size advantage over anyone, and he could then have an easier time scoring on the interior.
With that, there is a chance that Turner ends up being the Pacers' most reliable scoring weapon — opening up the opportunity for him to score over 20 points in every game of the series.
Tyrese Haliburton hits a game-winner… again
Tyrese Haliburton ruffles the feathers of his opponents, with some even calling him overrated. Fans of opposing teams dislike him, as his carefree demeanor and his personality that allows him to taunt his opponents while taking things in stride, make him quite the target. But Haliburton is not someone any team would want to face whenever the game is hanging in the balance.
Against the Cavs, Haliburton drilled the game-winner in Game 2 and promptly paid tribute to Sam Cassell with the “big balls” dance. He's been exceptional in late-game scenarios, and for all the flak he catches for not being the typical best player on a contending team, he gets the job done for the Pacers in the clutch.
With the margins between the Pacers and Knicks being razor-thin, there will be many games to be decided in their final few minutes. And that could pave the way for more Haliburton heroics.
Pacers defeat Knicks in 7
Homecourt advantage isn't exactly something that matters to the Pacers. They won all three games on the road in the previous round against the Cavs, so even with a potential Game 7 being on the road, Indiana will prevail against their archnemesis.
The Pacers have been playing unselfish basketball that's a bit reminiscent of the 2014 San Antonio Spurs, and with everyone on the team having their eyes on the prize, not playing for anything other than the greater good of the team, they will be outlasting a Knicks team that will be very exhausted come the end of the series due to the short rotation they're running.
