New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee and Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller are forever linked.

They had their moment in the 1995 NBA playoff. To them, it’s over. No need to bring it up with the Knicks and Pacers playing in this season’s Eastern Conference finals.

“Here’s the thing, already they are digging up stuff of me and Reggie Miller,” Lee said recently. “I like to tell everybody, me and Reggie Miller, we’re cool. That stuff, how many years ago? It was 20 years ago. That’s been dead and buried. It’s mutual respect between Reggie Miller and I. People can try to stir up some stuff, I guarantee Reggie and I, we’re not going for that.”

Miller and Lee taunted each often during the 1990s. The most famous interaction came in 1995 when Miller scored eight points in nine seconds to lead the Pacers to a shocking victory. They eventually won the series before losing to the Orlando Magic in the next round.

While Miller and Lee have squashed beef, the Pacers fan have not. They still have animosity toward Lee. At least that’s how Lee feels from experiences every time the Knicks face the Pacers.

“But them people in Indiana, that’s another thing,” Lee said. “They don’t like me.”

Fans can only hope the renewed version of this rivalry is similar to the `90s.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Preview capsule on the Indiana-New York Eastern Conference finals series that starts Wednesday:

No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32, 8-2) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31, 8-4)

Season series: Knicks, 2-1.

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Schedule: Game 1 at New York on Wednesday, Game 2 at New York on Friday, Game 3 at Indiana on Sunday, Game 4 at Indiana on May 27, Game 5 at New York on May 29 (if necessary), Game 6 at Indiana on May 31 (if necessary), Game 7 at New York on June 2 (if necessary).

How they got here: New York knocked out Detroit in six games in the first round and then ended Boston’s championship reign after one year by beating the Celtics in six in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers needed just five games to eliminate Milwaukee in the first round and top-seeded Cleveland in the second and lead all teams in the postseason in field goal shooting (50.1%), 3-point rate (40.6) and assists per game (29.7).

Storyline: A fierce playoff rivalry from the 1990s is back again and this time is a bit of a surprise, as the Knicks and Pacers finished well behind Cleveland and Boston in the Eastern Conference. This is the ninth matchup between the franchises, with Indiana leading 5-3. That includes the Pacers’ victory in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals, the previous time the Knicks made it this far, and their win last year when they beat the Knicks in seven games in the second round.

Key matchup: Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Haliburton — but also Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard and T.J. McConnell. The two point guards are the headline names in the series but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle mentioned all those players as options to defend Brunson, who played for him in Dallas before blossoming into a superstar in New York.

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X-factors: As always, it’s health. The Pacers mostly avoided Damian Lillard in the first round and pounced on a wounded Cavs team that dealt with injuries to Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter. The Knicks finished off the Celtics after Jayson Tatum was lost to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and with Kristaps Porzingis a shell of himself the entire series because of a virus. Brunson and OG Anunoby couldn’t finish Game 7 last year because of injuries and Josh Hart struggled through it because of an abdominal strain, after other key Knicks had already been lost. The Pacers are deep and maybe could withstand an injury. The Knicks aren’t and need all their starters to be available.

Prediction: Indiana’s offense might be on too much of a roll to slow down four times. Pacers in 6.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Colorado State wing Nique Clifford is predicted to be drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 23rd overall pick in ESPN’s latest Mock Draft.

Clifford was a super senior for Colorado State, averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He shot 49.6 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three.

The 23-year-old is NBA-ready and would be a plug-and-play player for a contending team like the Pacers.

Indiana is in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season and has found great success with its core. Tyrese Haliburton has led the way for the Pacers, and they could be even better by adding Clifford on a rookie contract.

Under the current CBA, contending teams need a deep rotation. To accomplish that, they need to find value in players on rookie deals.

Clifford doesn’t have as much potential as some of the other prospects, as he will be 24 before his rookie debut, but he is NBA-ready and could be a contributing player for the Pacers right away.

The former Colorado State Ram may be an older prospect, but he has interest from NBA teams and could be a mid to late first-round pick.

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