Why The Knicks-Pacers Series Has Become Must-See TV

The NBA’s conference finals have such a cool dichotomy this year. In the West, the Timberwolves and Thunder feature two teams with little playoff history.

In the East, the Knicks versus the Pacers features one of the NBA’s most storied rivalries. Even before Game 1, we as fans already knew we were in for a dogfight of a series. After Game 1, we now know that both teams have so much to prove.

As if a script couldn’t be written any better, the Eastern Conference finals will be broadcast as TNT’s final NBA playoff series. Even more fitting, one of the Knicks’ biggest rivals, Reggie Miller, is on the call throughout the series. He is one of the most tangible reminders of the Pacers being a thorn in the Knicks’ side. Miller has made memorable plays against them many times. He ended his career with an 18-17 playoff record against them. If Knick fans can take any solace from that, it’s that they won almost as much.

This year’s Eastern Conference playoffs featured a bunch of surprises

Both of these squads vanquished teams that many didn’t expect them to. The Pacers beat the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Not to be outdone, the Knicks beat the defending champion Boston Celtics in six games. Both the Knicks and Pacers have fought through adversity all playoffs long. It’s now only them in the way of one another, en route to the NBA finals.

The dichotomy of these fanbases also tells a story. It’s depicted very well in ESPN’s first 30 For 30 documentary called Winning Time. It’s the big city and bright lights versus small town, rural America. The little engine that could versus a brash and boisterous New York bunch. It’s as true then, as it is now. As a resident and native New Yorker, trust me, we aren’t impressed by Pacer antics.

Players trash-talking and Pacer flopping were at an all-time high. We were treated to a game in which the slower, more methodical Knicks played the Pacers’ higher-tempo game. And for the majority of the game, it worked for the Knicks. We were ultimately treated to an overtime classic that found the Pacers prevail in Game 1, much to my chagrin.

It was just another signature moment, in a rivalry filled with them, from Miller’s eight points in nine seconds to beat New York to Larry Johnson’s four-point play. Who could forget Roy Hibbert’s block on Carmelo Anthony, to Jalen Brunson’s forty-point game in this year’s Game 1. In the words of Jim Ross, this one’s about to be a barn burner. And not that anyone is counting, but between the east and the west, that big game feel is certainly in the east.

If you aren’t glued to your TV for the next week watching this, I don’t envy you. Knicks will be live in five, book it!