The drought ends at its silver anniversary. The underdog Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 125-108 to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals in six games and advanced to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 2000.
It was another emotional, hard-fought battle between two rivals with a well-documented past, dating back nearly three decades, to the mid-90s, that was a tight game until the Pacers were able to separate themselves and pull away in the final quarter. Just like most of the playoffs, the tag team of Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton led the way for the Pacers, finishing with 31 points and 21 points, respectively.
It was Siakam’s third game this series with at least 25 points which earned him the Larry Bird Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals. It is a full circle moment, because Bird coached the team from 1997-2000.
“It’s been such an amazing experience for me so far,” Siakam told Ernie Johnson for the TNT Sports broadcast about his time in Indy. “From the first day I landed here like the love has been amazing. … First class organization. I’m just so happy to be here. I mean tonight, after a bad Game 5, we wanted to bounce back, I have like 100% belief in my teammates. Whenever we are down, we always find a way.”
The game also marked a historic moment for the broadcast; the Pacers victory was the last game in the 36-year, long-standing relationship between the NBA and TNT. While “Inside the NBA” will continue its legendary show on ESPN, the NBA on TNT ended at the conclusion of the Eastern Conference finals.
Embed from Getty ImagesBoth teams kept it close in the first half, exchanging baskets despite the Knicks’ turnover issues that plagued them the entire game and throughout the series.
It was a rapid 9-0 run from three consecutive 3-pointers to start the second half that made the difference for a fast-paced Pacers squad.
From that point on, the crowd on hand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which featured WNBA star Caitlin Clark, roared the Pacers to the very end.
Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals brought out a variety of celebrities, ranging from former Knicks and Pacers players, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Jalen Rose, to comedian and hometown hero Mike Epps, actor Timothée Chalamet, who has been a mainstay in this series and world-class athletes, WNBA player Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, Reggie Wayne, Reggie Miller, and former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee.
Haliburton said he was “really proud” of the way his team played.
“We had a tough showing last game as a group, so we wanted to respond. We did a great job at that,” Haliburton told the TNT Sports broadcast.
“I don’t even have words. It’s really exciting. We will enjoy this one for now and there’s a lot more work to do against a really tough team. Just really proud of this group.”
It was a rough night for the Knicks All-Star duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Brunson added 19 points.
The Knicks struggled with the swarming Indiana defense, leading to 17 turnovers as a team. Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard had a game-high six steals.
Despite the Knicks appearing to claw their way back into the game several times, the Pacers proved to be too much to handle as New York’s attempt to become the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 hole fell painfully short.
The Knicks, who have not won a title since 1973, let alone advance to the Finals since 1999 in lockout-shortened season against the San Antonio Spurs, again were eliminated by a team they consider one of their greatest rivals.
The two teams met in the playoffs eight times in their history, including six in eight years between 1993-2000. Last year, Indiana defeated New York in Game 7 at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, setting an NBA record for the best field goal percentage ever in an NBA game, converting 67.1% of their shots.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to all the adversity the team went through this season with injuries and late additions to the rotation when asked how they can take the next step and get to a Finals.
“I’m proud of what these guys did,” Thibodeau told reporters.
“There was a lot that we had to get through, and I thought we handled that part well. … A lot of moving parts but they kept fighting and moving forward. And I’ve got great respect for that.”
The 28-year-old Brunson did not sugar coat or hold his tongue about another loss to the Pacers, saying it “sucked” but expressed the confidence in how the team will rebound in the future.
“The most confidence. Overconfident. Seriously. There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group,” Brunson said.
Towns added that the moves the Knicks have made were to “win.”
“It hurts not to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room, and we hope to – the plan now is to put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.”
The Pacers face a monumental task next, playing the NBA’s best regular season team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in their second-ever Finals appearance, the first time since 2012 against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The series starts on Thursday at the Paycom Center and can be seen on ABC.
