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The Indiana Pacers have been waiting for almost a week to learn their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals. They took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in just five games in the second round.
Indiana will now be facing the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s the first time that these two teams have faced each other in that round since 2000.
In that matchup, the Pacers beat the Knicks in six games to advance to their first, and only, NBA Finals matchup. They would go on to lose the NBA Championship to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
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These two teams also faced each other last year in the playoffs. The Pacers were able to prevail, beating the Knicks in seven games. Game 7 was in Madison Square Garden, which made it all the more impressive.
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New York will once again have home-court advantage over the Pacers in this series, so they feel that they can win this series. They are also healthier this year.
Now that the two teams are matched up, the schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals has been finalized, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday.
Games will be played every other day in this series, with every game being aired on TNT. That means that fans will get to hear former Pacers superstar Reggie Miller on the call. The games will start on Wednesday and last all the way until June 2nd if necessary.
Even though the Knicks didn’t finish their series until Friday night, they will still get a chance to rest up before this series starts. They are going to need it because the Pacers play at a breakneck pace.
Indiana’s speed is a big part of what makes them such a good team. No one has been able to slow them down in the playoffs so far, despite the fact that the tempo slows down in the playoffs.
The Knicks are a very physical team. They are gritty and can get a ton of offensive rebounds, which is something the Pacers struggle with. That’s an advantage that the Knicks will look to exploit.
This should be a great series. It’s the renewal of a rivalry that had a lot of great battles in the 1990s. Both fan bases are very excited for this one.
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