Indiana
Pacers-Knicks Matchup May Not Be Close
The stage has been set for what should be a thrilling Eastern Conference Finals.
After obliterating the Boston Celtics at home by 38 points to close out the series, the New York Knicks will host the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the ECF on Wednesday.
This is the first time since 2000 that the Knicks have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. A year prior was the last time they appeared in the NBA Finals. As for Indiana, Rick Carlisle’s squad got swept in last year’s ECF by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
The Pacers have only one Finals appearance — and it occurred in 2000. Indiana defeated New York coincidentally before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Suffice it to say, but both of these franchises are starving for a shot at an NBA Title.
Read more: Kendrick Perkins Doesn’t Believe in Pacers Entering Eastern Conference Finals
Indiana and New York squared off versus one another three times in the regular season. Here are the scores of those games:
New York wins 123-98 (October 25th)
Indiana wins 132-121 (November 10th)
New York wins 128-115 (February 11th)
The Knicks won the only matchup at Madison Square Garden. The teams then split the other two games played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. As one can see, none of these games were particularly close.
Will a similar story play out this way moving forward? It could depending on the game, where players may be fatigued on short rest, resulting in a blowout. This narrative has been occurring more and more in recent years, given the taxing level of playoff basketball.
Surely there are some things to take away from these initial meetings. At the same time, two of them occurred before Christmas. These teams are playing at a far greater level now compared to back then.
Indiana is a far deeper team. With the Pacers looking to push tempo and run the Knicks ragged in transition, there’s a world where Indiana could capitalize and punish New York by a substantial margin if Tom Thibodeau runs his team into the ground minutes-wise. There’s only one day of rest in-between each game of this series.
With a short bench, New York likely will be forced to log heavy minutes with its starters. Throw on top the emotion and grind of these games, and seeing a couple blowouts wouldn’t necessarily be a shock.
At the same time, these are two highly-competitive squads. For the fans’ sake across the NBA, let’s hope we get to see seven games coming down to the wire.
More Indiana Pacers news: Pacers’ Surprising Secret Weapon Has Fueled Dangerous Playoff Run
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Responds to LeBron James Praise
For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.
On this episode of “Week in Review,” we cover the Indiana gambling case, the Bears’ 2026 schedule release and the Bulls landing the No. 4 draft pick. We also look at Jim’s Original moving after 85 years and Chicago Fire FC’s new McDonald’s Park stadium name. Plus, Cole Kmet joins Cop on a Rooftop, a White Sox phenom goes one on one and more top stories from around Chicago.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — More than 50 Indiana law enforcement agencies are taking to the roof to help local athletes.
Police and safety officers will be stationed around various Dunkin’ Donuts, taking up donations for the Special Olympics. People who monetarily donate will receive a coupon for a free donut. Those who donate $10 or more will receive a coupon for a free medium hot coffee.
“Supporting the Special Olympics isn’t just an event for us — it’s a commitment to people who inspire us every day,” Sergeant Wes Rowlader said. “These athletes show what determination, courage, and community truly look like. Every dollar we raise helps transform that spirit into training, competition, and lifelong confidence.”
More than 20,000 Hoosier athletes train and compete for free within the Special Olympics. To date, Cop on a Rooftop has raised more than $125,000 for Special Olympics Indiana.
The Indiana State Police will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 9821 Lima Road in Fort Wayne from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday.
A man’s family is demanding answers after he was shot by a security guard inside a hospital emergency room waiting area on Tuesday night in Gary, Indiana.
Methodist Northlake Hospital officials said, around midnight Tuesday night, its security staff responded quickly after a patient took out a gun. The hospital said he’d threatened to shoot himself or others.
The hospital commended the security guard who shot the man for “neutralizing the threat and helping ensure the safety of our patients and employees.”
Family members identified the man who was shot as Otis Brown. They said he is a kind father to a 12-year-old boy.
“Just a great person, a happy-go-lucky, always out there trying to do the right thing,” said his fiancée, Stacey Taylor.
Taylor said she was on a business trip when she got a call that Brown had been shot multiple times.
“Scared, uncertainty; you know, what story is right? You know, what happened?” she said.
After he was shot, Brown was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.
Taylor said she had no idea why Brown went to Methodist Northlake Hospital in the first place. His family said he was trying to leave the hospital when the shooting happened, claiming that the hospital gave him his gun back after he was cleared to leave.
“We just want to get answers, just want to know what happened, particularly when people are defaming his name,” Taylor said.
She and Brown’s family hope the hospital has surveillance video footage that can help provide answers.
Gary police have not provided any details on the shooting. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the shooting at the request of Gary police, but did not provide any further information.
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