2025 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: #3 New York Knicks vs #4 Indiana Pacers (IND leads 2-0)

[bisme37]

Game 2: Friday May 23, 8pm ET on TNT







Continued from here: https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2459266

[bisme37]

Incredible win last night Pacers fans congrats. Your team kinda defies logic but I already knew that.

[Raps in 4]

Pacers are a team of destiny.

[Hoop Hunter]

Watch on YouTube

The Pacers after-game press conference. Great coach, good dudes!

[UcanUwill]

I read RealGM less these days, I bet it was discussed already, but I heard this fact today, that before Knicks - Pacers game one yesterday, NBA teams were 970 and 0, while having at least 14 point lead with 2:50 left in a game in a playoffs since we record this. Now its 970-1.

[Phish Tank]

Knicks need to turn this into a wrestling match.

[DonaldSanders]

Still buzzing about this game the next morning, been awhile since I was this excited about a game my main team didn't win. Been really fun rooting for the Pacers this playoffs!!

[NiceLikeChrist]

Knicks in 5

[WeLikeOurGuys]

I'd be a bit concerned if I were a Knicks fan. The Pacers play a deep rotation and come at you for a full 48 minutes. They play hard and usually have fresh bodies on the court.

Thibs runs a tight 7-man rotation, occasionally sprinkling in Precious or Payne, but it’s essentially a flat 7. Towns, OG, Brunson, and Mitchell looked absolutely gassed last night—and it’s only Game 1.

The Knicks also had a much tougher road to get here. Let’s be honest: they won their first two series, but they easily could’ve lost both. Meanwhile, the Pacers have had a relatively easier path in terms of the grind and number of games. They also look like a very confident team right now, believing they can beat anybody.

[Chuck Everett]

I really wish the Pacers would go back to their 90's jerseys. The early 90's. Those were way better than these current ones.

[bisme37]

Entering Wednesday, teams were 0-970 since 1998 when trailing by 14 with 2:50 remaining in regulation.

Make that 1-970 thanks to the Indiana Pacers.

Pacer Perspective: There have been seven 17+ point comebacks this postseason – the most in any Playoffs since play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98.

The Pacers are responsible for four of them.

Built For The Impossible: Indy’s four 17+ point comebacks are the most in a single Playoff run in the play-by-play era – and the Pacers have only played 11 games so far

Refusing To Go Away: Three of those four comebacks have come on the road – also an NBA record – and two have come after halftime

And It’s Nothing New: The Pacers have now won 12 games in 2024-25 (reg+post) when coming back from 15 points down – the most in a single season since 1997-98

(From NBA.com)

[Raps in 4]

I really wish the Pacers would go back to their 90's jerseys. The early 90's. Those were way better than these current ones.

Most NBA jersey designs peaked in the 90s.

[AFM]

I wonder how NY responds. Could either really demoralize you or wake you up.

[NiceLikeChrist]

I'd be a bit concerned if I were a Knicks fan. The Pacers play a deep rotation and come at you for a full 48 minutes. They play hard and usually have fresh bodies on the court.

Thibs runs a tight 7-man rotation, occasionally sprinkling in Precious or Payne, but it’s essentially a flat 7. Towns, OG, Brunson, and Mitchell looked absolutely gassed last night—and it’s only Game 1.

The Knicks also had a much tougher road to get here. Let’s be honest: they won their first two series, but they easily could’ve lost both. Meanwhile, the Pacers have had a relatively easier path in terms of the grind and number of games. They also look like a very confident team right now, believing they can beat anybody.

It was a 1 in 1000 victory. They will need 3 more to beat us.

Every team we play will be deeper than us with a better coach than us but our 1-5 talent is greater than all of the teams left. That alone will win us this series. They played great ball and it got them down 14 with 2 minutes to go before a miracle happened. Miracles won’t happen every game but their poor defense will continue. Their defense will be a constant. I’m not worried about it.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I wonder how NY responds. Could either really demoralize you or wake you up.

They aren’t demoralized. It’s a team of vets.

One game means nothing.

[Backcountry]

Missed all of the first half and some of the 3rd quarter due to a get-together. Turned it on late in the 3rd, it was close but then the Knicks started to pull away. Figured it was a good time to have a shower, get ready for bed. Got to bed, casually flipped it on to see if it was over yet, and caught the last 2 minutes and OT. What a finish! I'm still trying to figure out who was polled in the "most-overrated" listing. Some players with a grudge, I'm guessing.

Anyway, hope the rest of the series is as exciting!

[cgf]

Right but Wright specifically provides more of a pocket point who can settle things down vs. Payne who's a chucker

True true. Payne can definitely swing momentum when he's on, but he doesn't provide quite the stabilizing force Wright does...plus you can't play Jalen & Cam together as easily.

[bisme37]

To put lipstick on a pig from the Knicks perspective, it was a 1 point game early in the 4th. Then the Knicks went on a run and were up big with a few minutes left. Then the Pacers went on a run to send it to OT.

So was it really a Knicks "collapse" or just a game/quarter of runs? It was probably a collapse haha, but you could look at it the other way too.

[Raps in 4]

Missed all of the first half and some of the 3rd quarter due to a get-together. Turned it on late in the 3rd, it was close but then the Knicks started to pull away. Figured it was a good time to have a shower, get ready for bed. Got to bed, casually flipped it on to see if it was over yet, and caught the last 2 minutes and OT. What a finish! I'm still trying to figure out who was polled in the "most-overrated" listing. Some players with a grudge, I'm guessing.

Anyway, hope the rest of the series is as exciting!

Haliburton was kind of trash for like a year (end of last season and start of this season). I know Pacers fans said he was injured, but I thought that was just an excuse for the yips. I feel a lot of fans and players probably thought that, hence voting him overrated. We're all in shambles right now.

[Capn'O]

Pacer Perspective: There have been seven 17+ point comebacks this postseason – the most in any Playoffs since play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98.

The Pacers are responsible for four of them.

(From NBA.com)

The Knicks are responsible for at least two of the other three

This is shaping up to be a wild series.