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The New York Knicks were one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, and they accomplished that feat against an Indiana Pacers team with numerous disruptive injuries. But New York chose to aggressively pursue a championship instead of waiting to see how their roster might improve organically. They upended their roster by adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to an already-talented cast.
Now, the Knicks have home court advantage against the same team that eliminated them last spring. Only this time, they're fully healthy and more offensively inclined.
KAT adds a scoring threat the Pacers will struggle to combat
Towns is inarguably one of the best big men in the NBA. He averaged 24.4 points on an incredibly impressive 56.7/42/82.9 shooting split. Towns also averaged 12.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He stretches the floor with his long ball, punishes defenses in the post and off the dribble, crashes the defensive glass, and passes the ball incredibly well for a big.
Towns' impact was on full display in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics. He scored 21 points, 12 of which came in the first quarter, which kicked things off for the Knicks on the road to a blowout, series-clinching victory. But Towns didn't rely on his three-pointer. He was seven-for-14 on 2-pointers. He used pump fakes to get bigger defenders off balance before blowing by them. And he punished smaller defenders in the post with methodical moves and brute strength.
And it's that type of repertoire that will be equally difficult for Indiana to offset. Myles Turner is a good, traditional defensive center. But he is going to struggle when asked to stay with Towns seventeen feet (and farther) from the basket. And guys like Pascal Sicken and Obi Toppin are going to get the Jaylen Brown treatment (hint: that's not a good thing).
Towns' only real limitation is himself. Towns is known to disappear every now and then. But that isn't as detrimental to these Knicks. They have Jalen Brunson, who powers them through clutch time. They have OG Anunoby, whose jump shot and motor consistently add points throughout the game. And they have Bridges, who looks more ready for the moment than ever before.
Mikal Bridges came into his own for the Knicks
Speaking of Bridges, it wasn't that long ago that Knicks fans were claiming his jumpsuit was broken. Now, the five picks that New York gave up for him look like a bargain. Bridges helped power the Knicks through the first two rounds, coming up with numerous game-saving defensive stands and big shots.
Bridges' offensive output is inconsistent, but it doesn't have to be that consistent. He's scored 20 or more points in three of the Knicks' 12 postseason games. He's also grabbed six or more rebounds six times, totaled three or more steals in three games, and blocked two shots on four occasions.
But Bridges' real utility is what he can do when Brunson is off the floor. Since the start of the playoffs, Bridges has shown a proclivity for playmaking with the ball in his hands. Despite being built like a point guard, Miles McBride is well-suited to play shooting guard. And that works perfectly with Bridges running point. Bridges brilliantly weaves through the defense, making off-balance fadeaway—but never forcing up shots. And it's difficult for defenses to digest, given how differently Bridges plays point guard than Brunson.
Indiana will probably struggle to defend a Bridges-McBride backcourt, especially in the first few games, with limited real-time data on how challenging it is to defend. Granted, Bridges spends far more time as a shooting guard, but his versatility is what makes him special. And he'll probably start off defending Tyrese Haliburton, which poses a significantly bigger challenge than anyone tasked with defending the two-time All-Star.
A healthy Mitchell Robinson is bad news for the Pacers
And then there's Mitchell Robinson. Robinson was not nearly healthy in the 2024 playoffs against the Pacers. He injured his ankle against the Philadelphia 76ers, which was aggravated again against Indiana. Robinson's ankle ultimately required surgery, costing him the first 58 games of the 2024-25 season.
Robinson was brought back slowly. He played limited minutes in the remaining regular season games, and it appeared as if that trend would continue through the playoffs—at least based on how he was used in the first-round against the Detroit Pistons.
But Robinson was unleashed against the Celtics. Maybe it was intentional. Or maybe the stars aligned. But either way, Robinson was arguably the most valuable player in the series. His defensive versatility was on full display in Game 6 with Robinson literally defending all five Celtics in a single play. And it was so overwhelming that Celtics' coach Joe Mazzulla resorted to a Hack-a-Mitch strategy.
The Pacers ranked second-worst in the league in offensive rebounding and 21st in defensive rebounding. Those are bleak statistics when faced with Robinson in the conference finals. Robinson is a rebounding menace. He averaged eight rebounds in less than 21 minutes per game. And there's no answer to him on the Pacers roster.
Granted, Indiana has its own attributes that are difficult to combat. They run you into the ground through an incredibly chaotic pace. And there are a number of guys who can do damage. But simply put, the Knicks are better equipped to advance past the Pacers this season. And if they do so, they will be four wins away from their first NBA Championship in 52 years.
