The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers are both back in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years when they go head to head in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
While this is Thom Thibodeau's men's first conference finals appearance since the defeat in 2000, Indiana will look to go one step further and reach the championship finals at the second time of asking, having fallen short against the Boston Celtics last year.
Match preview
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Having finished with a 51-31 record in the regular season to clinch third place in the Eastern Conference standings, the New York Knicks kicked off their playoff dreams in style as they knocked out the Detroit Pistons over a six-game series.
Faced against reigning NBA champions the Boston Celtics in the semi-finals, the Knicks showed their title credentials as they brushed aside Kenny Atkinson's men 4-2 to win the series in six games, edging out two of their most history rivals en route to the finals.
Thibodeau's side turned in a standout display in Game 6 of the Conference semis last Saturday when four of the five starters finished with 20+ points, including Jalen Brunson (23) and star forwards Karl-Anthony Towns (21) and OG Anunoby (23), in a 119-81 victory over the Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
While the New York Knicks will look to reach the championship finals, standing before them first is the challenge of the Indiana Pacers whom they suffered a second-round exit against last year, losing 4-3 after a gruelling seven-game series.
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The Pacers bounced back from a topsy-turvy first half of the season as they put together a 42-16 run since the start of 2025 to secure fourth spot in the regular season standings, just one game below the New York Knicks.
Like Thursday's hosts, Indiana had to show their mettle in the first two rounds, seeing off the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 before powering past the Eastern Conference top seed Cleveland Cavaliers in another five-game showdown.
While the Cavaliers finished with an impressive 34-7 home record in the regular season, the Pacers secured three of their four victories in the semi-finals at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, including a 114-105 win in Game 5 last Wednesday.
Rick Carlisle's men now return to the Conference finals, where they were swept last year after losing each of the four games in the series against eventual winners the Boston Celtics.
The odds are in their favour this time around, though, as Indiana boasts the best overall shooting and 3-point efficiency in the playoffs with 50.1% and 40.6% respectively while they rank second in scoring (117.7ppg).
The Pacers secured a 4-2 victory against the New York Knicks in the Conference finals back in 2000, but it is worth noting that they lost two of the three meetings between the two sides in the regular season, with a 132-121 victory at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 10 sandwiched between the two defeats.
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Team News
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Having finished the regular season with 26.0 points per game, Brunson has enjoyed an even more impressive post-season form, hitting 28.8 points and 7.7 assists per game to lead the New York Knick to the Conference finals.
The off-season acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns has also paid its dividends for Thibodeau's side as the 29-year-old is averaging 19.8 points and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs — Towns currently boast the highest rebound tally amongst the four teams left in the playoffs.
As for the Indiana Pacers, they remain without the services of 22-year-old forward Isaiah Jackson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn Achilles back in November.
Tyrese Haliburton was the hero for the Pacers in the semi-finals series against the Cavaliers and the 25-year-old, who is averaging 17.5 points per game to go with 9.3 assists, will look to deliver the goods once again.
New York Knicks possible starting 5:
Brunson, Hart, Towns, Bridges, Anunoby
Indiana Pacers possible starting 5:
Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Turner, Siakam
We say: The New York Knicks to win by 5+ points./h2>
Despite being underdogs in their respective semi-final matchups, the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers got the job done to set up an exciting Conference final showdown between the two heated rivals. Both sides have proven capable of getting results against the odds but we fancy Thibodeau's men to take Game 1 in front of their home supporters.
Joshua Ojele
