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The Eastern Conference Finals are just about set to get underway, and the series features a couple of teams that we didn't expect to see. The Indiana Pacers will be going up against the New York Knicks. When the playoffs rolled around, everyone expected the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers to make it to this point. Both teams easily took care of business in the first round of the playoffs, but the Knicks and Pacers both had other plans during the second round. Now, the top two seeds are out.
Both the Pacers and Knicks were underdogs during the second round, but one of them will end up playing for an NBA championship in a couple of weeks. New York is favored in this series, and it will be another tough one for Indiana to win. It should be a good series.
Before we talk about X-factors, let's take a quick look at how both of these teams got to this point.
The Knicks have played in two incredible series
The Eastern Conference was a puzzling one this season. The Celtics and Cavaliers finished with the two best records as Cleveland was 64-18 and Boston was 61-21. After that, there was a massive drop-off.
New York ended up in third place in the East with a 51-31 record, 10 games back of the Celtics. Teams seeded 3-5 were separated by just three games. Boston and Cleveland were both well ahead of the pack, and that's why everyone was expecting to see them both in the conference finals.
The Knicks started their playoff run against the Detroit Pistons, who came in sixth place in the East. This was arguably the best series of the first round as every game down to the wire.
New York was in a bit of trouble after losing Game 2 at home, but two wins in Detroit after that put the Knicks up 3-1. The Pistons again found a way to win at Madison Square Garden in Game 5, but New York erased a seven-point deficit with under three minutes to go in Game 6 to secure the series.
It's crazy to think about the fact that the Knicks are four wins away from the NBA Finals after the way that series with Detroit went. Outside of Game 3, the Pistons had comfortable fourth-quarter leads in every game, but they just couldn't finish.
The Knicks moved on to take on the Celtics, and Boston was a massive favorite. You could see why as the Celtics took a 20-point lead during Game 1, but the Knicks somehow stormed back to win the game. Then, the exact same thing happened in Game 2. All of a sudden, New York was heading home with a 2-0 lead.
The Celtics took care of business in Game 3 on the road, but things got bleak when Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in the Game 4 loss. Boston was able to force a Game 6 after that, but the Knicks easily took care of business at home to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pacers have been on cruise control
Indiana has looked incredibly impressive throughout the playoffs so far. The Pacers finished with a 50-32 overall record to earn the four-seed in the East. They started their playoff run against the Milwaukee Bucks, and it took just five games to eliminate their division rival.
After going down 3-1, the Bucks looked like they locked up a Game 5 win on the road to send the series back to Milwaukee. They had a big lead with under a minute to go, and the Pacers somehow pulled off a miraculous comeback to earn the victory. Tyrese Haliburton finished things with a bucket in the final seconds.
Like the Knicks, the Pacers were big underdogs in the second round of the playoffs. Also like the Knicks, they stole the first two games of the series on the road.
Cleveland looked much better in Game 3 as it earned a blowout win on the road, but the Pacers took care of business in Game 4 to go up 3-1. Everyone expected the Cavaliers to win Game 5 at home to force a Game 6 back in Indiana, but the Pacers ended up going 3-0 in Cleveland.
Now, the Knicks and Pacers are four wins away from fighting for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. This is going to be a fun series.
No surprise: The Pacers' X-factor is Tyrese Haliburton
We're not going to give you some under-the-radar player for the Pacers who has to step up in this series to get a win. It's simple: Tyrese Haliburton has to win this series for the Pacers. Obviously, he is going to need help, but this series is going to hinge on him and Jalen Brunson.
So far in the playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton has more than answered the call. He has hit clutch shot after clutch shot and is the reason why the Pacers have won both of their series in just five games. He hit the late game-winner in Game 5 against the Bucks, and he shocked the Cavaliers with a three in the final seconds of Game 2. Without him, that's at least two extra games that Indiana would've had to play.
Haliburton is the X-factor in this series because of who he will be going up against. Jalen Brunson won Clutch Player of the Year for a reason. When the lights are brightest, he steps up. He sent the Pistons home with his dagger three late in Game 6, and his big-time shot-making ability in Game 4 against the Celtics was too much for Boston to handle. Brunson has been incredibly clutch during the playoffs.
We know that there are going to be close games in this series, and we know that Jalen Brunson is going to be ready for those moments. He always is. If Tyrese Haliburton can match him, then the Pacers can win this series.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Knicks will go down on Wednesday night in New York. The two teams will get underway at 8:00, and the game will be airing on TNT/Max. The Knicks are currently favored by 4.5 points.
