The crazy playoff history between the Knicks and the Pacers is about to add another chapter.
The Knicks’ vanquishing of the Sixers in six games, combined with Indiana’s closeout of the banged-up Bucks on Thursday night, sets up a second-round clash against Reggie Miller’s former and Obi Toppin’s current NBA squad.
The series will open with Games 1 and 2 at the Garden on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before it shifts to Indiana for Game 3 on May 10 and Game 4 on May 12.
Here are a few memories and modern-day storylines ahead of a rivalry that saw the two teams meet in the postseason six times in eight seasons between 1993 and 2000, and one other unforgettable time in 2013:
The ultimate villain
If you think MSG fans have been venomous against Trae Young or Joel Embiid in recent playoff years, no one embraced the bad guy role quite like Pacers guard Reggie Miller.
Obviously, Michael Jordan and the Bulls also broke the Knicks’ hearts a few times in that era, but Miller’s antics and torment of the Knicks resulted in a stellar ESPN 30-for-30 documentary on the topic.
His 25-point fourth quarter and choke sign directed at Spike Lee in 1994, and his eight points in nine seconds the following year live forever in Garden infamy.
LJ’s four-point play
Perhaps the best-remembered singular moment in the Knicks’ favor in the rivalry came late in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals when Larry Johnson buried a left-side 3-pointer and was fouled by Antonio Davis with 5.7 seconds remaining to lift the Knicks to a key victory on their way to becoming the first No.8 seed to reach the NBA Finals.
in Knicks-Pacers playoff battles. AP
Melo denied
Until last season’s advancement past the Cavaliers, the only time since 2000 that the Knicks had made it to the second round came in 2013 following an elimination of the Celtics.
The Pacers ousted Mike Woodson’s 54-win Knicks in six games, with the signature moment coming when Indiana center Roy Hibbert rejected Carmelo Anthony’s dunk attempt in the fourth quarter of Game 6 to ignite a 9-0 Pacers run to seal the series.
An All-Star point guard matchup
Shifting to the present, speedy Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton vs. Knicks breakout superstar Jalen Brunson should make for a riveting head-to-head battle over the coming weeks.
Haliburton, who once was dubbed a “fake, wannabe All-Star” by MSG analyst Wally Szczerbiak, also was named to the 2024 U.S. Olympic team over Brunson.
Obi’s return
Toppin, the former Knicks lottery pick and Brooklyn native, was dealt to the Pacers last summer; he essentially was replaced in the Knicks’ rotation by free-agent signing Donte DiVincenzo.
The high-flying Toppin played about 17 minutes per game against the Bucks in the first round.
His younger brother, Jacob, is a little-used player on the end of the Knicks’ roster, with zero postseason minutes.
