Pacers, Knicks renew historic rivalry (preview & picks)
2024 Eastern Conference Semis showdown!
Remember when Reggie Miller scored 8 points in 9 seconds to lead the Pacers to a 107-105 come-from-behind win over the Knicks in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden?
How about his heated tirades with Knicks superfan Spike Lee?
Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley and Pat Riley’s thugs vs. the Davis boys.
How about Grandmama Larry Johnson’s 4-point play at MSG that propelled the Knicks to their last NBA Finals appearance in ‘99?
Or in more recent times, Roy Hibbert’s game-saving block on Melo back in 2013?
I was covering the Pacers’ beat for NBA.com back then and was there for that 2013 series, and if there was one thing I learned, this New York vs. Indiana rivalry is as intense and as good as it gets in sports.
After more than a decade, these two prominent and bitter rivals finally get to battle each other once again and renew their storied rivalry today at MSG in the Big Apple. Expect fireworks!!!
Pacers are 2-1 against the Knicks in the regular season.
Feb. 10, 2024 Pacers defeated Knicks 125-111 in New York
Feb. 1, 2024 Knicks defeated Pacers 109-105 in New York
Dec. 30, 2024 Pacers defeated Knicks 140-126 in Indiana
Though without their star forward Julius Randle, the #2 seed Knicks opened as the 2-1 favorite over the #6 Pacers to win the series thanks in large to the stellar play of All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson and his former Villanova mates Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
Though the underdogs, the Pacers have a real shot in this series if they can impose their league-best scoring style of play and overwhelm the Knicks with their depth and second unit led by TJ McConnell. The youngest team in the Playoffs do need to mature quickly and will have to perform better than they did in their 1st round victory over the injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks.
Here’s my picks for tonight’s Game 1:
As you can see, I bought a few points on the Pacers side with the line being around +5. The Pacers are more than capable of stealing Game 1, but can also fall flat like their disappointing Game 1 loss against the Bucks. I don’t believe they’ll be blown out, however, and this protects me in case they do win. Take your pick between Wolves and Nuggets as the other leg, but I did hedge mine both ways. The sweet spot is the Nuggets winning by 10 points or less.
For my premium picks and legs for paid subs, just like I posted for Game 1 of the Wolves and Nuggets, I’ll post the best legs and you can copy it or pick and choose / mix and match FTW 🤑 (For free subs, you can use the free trial to view the picks below, or simply upgrade to a paid sub if you’ve been winning already with #dSourceTradamus👁 and want to keep winning more)
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