Old rivals Indiana and New York renew hostilities/friendships with Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
These are the two teams that gave us the Larry Johnson four-point play (sacred in New York) and the Reggie Miller choke sign (sacred in Indiana). The last time they met in the playoffs was last year when Indiana broke all kinds of NBA records with a Game 7 win in the conference semifinals at the Garden.
A year later, it almost feels like unfinished business needs to be settled. Let’s settle in for a good series.
Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Odds
New York opens the series as 4.5-point favorites everywhere with the total at 224.5. The Knicks won two of three meetings in the regular season – none of the games were close.
In the playoffs, Indiana is 7-3 against the spread and 6-4 over/under. They’ve averaged 117 points a game in the playoffs – same as in the regular season. New York is 8-4 against the spread in the playoffs and 5-6-1 over/under. They’ve averaged 106 in the playoffs, a dropoff from 115 in the regular season.
Seven of the last eight games with the Knicks as home favorites have hit the under (I lean the under tonight). New York has covered 11 of its last 14 games as home favorites against the Pacers. Indiana hasn’t won an ECF road game in its last seven tries.
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Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Analysis
What can we learn from the three regular season games? Not that much. The teams averaged 239 points in the games. Karl-Anthony Towns has 30 plus points in three of his last four games against the Pacers and Pacers pest Tyrese Haliburton has made three or more threes in five of his last six games against New York.
Game 7 last year was supposed to be a Knicks coronation, and then the Pacers came out and started firing. They set an NBA record shooting 67.1 percent from the floor and went 29-38 in the first half. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson broke his hand in the second half – by then it was too late anyway – he’s averaged 22.6 in his career against the Pacers.
What makes Indiana so tough is – like the Celtics – they can come at you from so many different places. They have six players averaging in double figures in the playoffs, led by Pascal Siakam at 18.8. Haliburton has made some big shots, but he’s also been held in check at times in the playoffs. When he’s on, Indiana is practically unbeatable.
Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Prediction
It’s going to be a wild, emotional night at Madison Square Garden. When you boil it down, these teams match up evenly. Siakam is comparable to OG Anunoby for the Knicks as a defensive player. Myles Turner is a bit more of a stretch-big than Towns, but you have to respect how they can both shoot from outside.
Haliburton is the leader for the Pacers, Brunson for the Knicks. They want to drive to the basket and dare you to stop them. Who will shoot better? Tonight I predict it will be the Knicks. The crowd will be hot early and the Knicks will send them home happy. Buckle up though, I think it’s a long series.
The pick: Knicks -4.5 (-105 at Caesars)
