Preview and Bold Prediction for Eastern Conference Finals

When sports fans think of the New York Knicks vs the Indiana Pacers, we think of the rivalry that started in the 1990s when both franchises met in the playoffs 6 times from 1993 to 2000. The rivalry was heightened in the 1995 playoffs when Reggie Miller amazingly scored 8 points in the final 18.7 seconds to erase a Knicks’ 105–99 lead and the famous choke sign to Film Director and Knicks fanatic, Spike Lee. Thirty years later, the two franchises will renew their rivalry in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. It will be an enthralling series after the Pacers knocked out the Knicks in Madison Square Garden last season in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. So, how will this series unfold? This article will preview both teams and boldly predict the winner.

Indiana Pacers: the Pacers have quietly been playing some of their best basketball after the trade deadline. They appear to be a team peaking at the right time after dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers in 5-game series. The Pacers will look to impose their offensive machine in this matchup by pushing the pace and making the Knicks’ defense struggle to contain their versatility. Despite being voted Most Overrated by his peers, the Pacers are led by Tyrese Haliburton, who has enjoyed a strong 2024–25 season. Halliburton is one of the NBA’s premier playmakers with nine assists per game, which led the league for much of the year. Haliburton forms a formidable duo with Pascal Siakam, who is our X-factor. Siakam averaged 16.7 points and six rebounds in the regular season series with New York. Andrew Nembhard has emerged as a key two-way contributor, while Bennedict Mathurin will provide an offensive spark from the bench. Mathurin averaged 25.3 points per game on 61 percent shooting against the Knicks in the regular season. The Pacers have gained valuable experience from their playoff run last season, and it shows by their efficiency in handling clutch minutes in a tight game. Indiana is 5-0 in its clutch games in the postseason, and Tyrese is shooting nearly 47 percent from the field in those high-stress minutes.

New York Knicks- the Knicks showed their experience by putting away the Detroit Pistons in six games, while they showed resilience by coming from behind multiple times against the Celtics to win by the same margin. The Knicks’ game plan will center around their defense and its ability to slow down the Pacers’ pace of play. The offense is built around Jalen Brunson, who showed his prowess in crunch minutes as the Clutch Player of the Year. New York will want these games to be decided in the final minutes, with a 6-2 record in playoff games involving crunch time minutes. Brunson always makes the big shots when his team needs a big play. The team will also lean on Karl Anthony Towns, who averaged 19.8 points and 12.7 rebounds per game against the Celtics. If the Knicks win this series, they will need big contributions from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. It will be interesting to see whether Coach Tom Thibodeau will play a bigger rotation to combat the depth of the Pacers.

Prediction- I think most analysts are predicting a Knicks win. However, I favor the Pacers in this matchup because their offense is relentless and will give the Knicks nightmares to stop. I think the Pacers are the deeper team and the Knicks are inconsistent in their offensive support behind Brunson and Towns. I think the Pacers will win this series in six games and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time and the first since 2000.