Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers face off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, marking their first appearance at this stage in 25 years.

For Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks, this is their first conference finals run since falling in 2000. Meanwhile, the Pacers aim to push past last year’s loss to the Boston Celtics and reach the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history.

The Knicks, who finished the regular season at 51-31 to claim third in the Eastern Conference, launched their playoff campaign by ousting the Detroit Pistons in a six-game first-round series. They then proved their mettle in the semifinals, defeating the reigning champion Boston Celtics 4-2, overcoming one of their fiercest rivals to secure their finals berth. In Game 6, the Knicks dominated with a 119-81 rout at home, powered by standout performances from Jalen Brunson (23 points), Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points), and OG Anunoby (23 points), with four of five starters scoring 20 or more.

Standing in the Knicks’ path to the NBA Finals are the Indiana Pacers, who knocked them out in a grueling seven-game series in last year’s second round, 4-3. The Pacers, finishing fourth in the East with a 47-35 record, surged into 2025 with a 42-16 run. They dispatched the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the first round and then toppled the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a five-game semifinal, winning three of four games on Cleveland’s home court, including a 114-105 triumph in Game 5.

Rick Carlisle’s squad, swept by the Celtics in last year’s conference finals, enters this matchup with momentum. The Pacers lead the playoffs in shooting efficiency, boasting a 50.1% field goal percentage and 40.6% from three, while averaging 117.7 points per game, second-best in the postseason.

Though the Pacers defeated the Knicks 4-2 in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals, this season’s regular-season matchups were split. Indiana won 132-121 at home on November 10, but the Knicks took two of the three encounters.

Brunson led the New York Knick to the Conference finals with 28.8 points and 7.7 assists per game after finishing the regular season with 26.0 points per game. His postseason play has been even more outstanding.

Isaiah Jackson, a 22-year-old forward, has been sidelined for the rest of the season due to an Achilles tear sustained in November, so the Indiana Pacers are still without him.

The 25-year-old Tyrese Haliburton, who averages 17.5 points and 9.3 assists per game, will try to deliver the goods once more after becoming the Pacers' hero in the semi-final series against the Cavaliers.Thibodeau's club has also benefited from the off-season signing of Karl-Anthony Towns, as the 29-year-old is averaging 19.8 points and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs. Towns presently leads the four remaining teams in the playoffs in rebounding.