Every decade since 1993, the NBA Playoffs is graced with a matchup between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. It is absolute cinema every time. Legends like Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Detlef Schrempf, Mark Jackson, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George had to go through this chapter to cement their legacies within their franchises. Now, a new cast of stars is about to join this absolute dogfight of a rivalry. They are headlined by star guards Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton. This amount of hype around a seven-game series got Magic Johnson excited.
Magic Johnson gets hyped up
The sole reign of the guard in the league is slowly going away. They used to be the ones ravaging and picking apart defenses. Now, they have competition with wings and bigs taking over once again. But, there is still a fair share of great guards in the association and two of them are about to duke it out. Magic Johnson outlined why this Pacers vs. Knicks matchup is one that he is looking forward to in the NBA Playoffs.
“I'm looking forward to the Knicks vs. the Pacers matchup and two of the best young point guards in the game – Brunson and Haliburton, going head-to-head. I love that these two franchises have a history and hate each other! Lol,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend said about Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson.
Both players are coming off impressive seasons. The Knicks had to face a lot of adversity. They have lost key pieces like Julius Randle because of the injury bug. This has made their rotation continually grow thin as Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo nearly have to play 40 minutes every night. Despite this, they still got the win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Pacers have also entered the NBA Playoffs with a historically great offense. However, they do get pushed around quite a bit because of their lackluster execution on defensive coverages. Another problem that they have to deal with is Tyrese Haliburton's drop in production after the All-Star break. Nonetheless, they have managed to stay afloat with guys like Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell stepping up. These were crucial in their series victory against a struggling Milwaukee Bucks squad.
Knicks-Pacers history
One might think that this is a lopsided rivalry that favors the Knicks. It might look that way but it is wrong. The Knicks do hold the all-time regular season series wins over the Pacers but they have just won 100 games to their opponents' 95. These two have had 236 meetings in total with the Knicks having the longest winning streak of 10 victories over their opponents.
However, the Pacers are not far behind from their rivals. They currently hold three more NBA Playoffs wins over the Knicks. Their 22 wins in the postseason clearly dwarf their opponents' 19. Moreover, they are entering this series as a more complete squad than the Knicks. With all the historical baggage bogging down both squads and the glory up for grabs, this series might go all the way to seven games.
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