Knicks get chance for Pacers revenge as playoff rivalry adds new layer
The deep-rooted playoff history between the Knicks and the Pacers is poised to add yet another chapter. The Knicks completed an unexpected bouncing of the defending-champion Celtics with a 119-81 thrashing in Game 6 on Friday night at the Garden. Combined with Indiana’s impressive five-game elimination of the top-seeded Cavaliers, it sets up a second straight year pitting the longtime postseason rivals — this time in the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks’ first appearance in the league semis since 2000. The sides also squared off in the second round one year ago, with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers surviving the heavily banged-up Knicks squad in seven games before falling to Boston in the conference finals. The latest head-to-head clash will open with Games 1 and 2 at the Garden beginning Wednesday before shifting to Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 on Sunday. Consider these past two spring encounters as a strong starting point to renewing the rivalry that saw the Knicks face MSG uber-villain Reggie Miller and the Pacers in postseason play six times in eight seasons between 1993 and 2000. There was Miller’s 25-point fourth quarter and choke sign directed at Spike Lee in 1994, and his eight points in nine seconds the following year, all of which continues to live in Garden infamy. Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series.There also was Larry Johnson’s late-game four-point play in Game 3 of the 1999 conference finals to help vault the Knicks into the NBA Finals, becoming the first No.8 seed in league history to get that deep, before falling in five games to the Spurs. There was one other memorable playoff series in 2013, though Knicks fans would prefer to forget the sight of Carmelo Anthony getting his dunk attempt rejected by Roy Hibbert in the fourth quarter of the Game 6 clincher. This will mark the second straight year pittin...