The Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks clashed in the recently concluded conference semi-finals. While the Knicks did win a couple of games, the Pacers ensured that they wrapped things up 4-2 with a game to spare. However, the manner in which Karl-Anthony Towns and co. were in blazing form, the fans expected quite a close matchup. But as it turns out, the Pacers were too hot for the Knicks to handle. And surprisingly, this has been a trend in the making.
The Indiana Pacers have been quite the nemesis for the New York Knicks. For 25 years now, the Knicks have failed to get over the Pacers in crucial encounters. Since 2000, the New York side hasn’t had a boastful record going forward. Faltering quite often, the Knicks got past the initial round only five times.
The Pacers have been the Knicks worst nightmare for a long time now 😬
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) June 2, 2025
via u/cacti_zoom | #YesCers | #NBA pic.twitter.com/ApLZdFPI3d
But what is more surprising is that four out of five’s NBA dreams were nipped in the bud by the Pacers. Back in 2000, the Pacers outplayed the Knicks in the conference finals. In 2013, 2023, and 2024, the Knicks bid adieu to the conference semi-finals. And once again this year, the story repeated itself. Meanwhile, despite having a sorrowful ending to their campaign, the Knicks did show sparks of brilliance in Game 5.
New York Knicks Will Look To Bank On The Positives
Despite the negatives and the heartbreaks, the Knicks did show glimpses of what they are capable of. Coming into Game 5 with a deficit of 3-1, this was a must-win game, and the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson gave it their all.
Jalen Brunson & Karl-Anthony Towns are the first teammates to score 20+ in the first 5 games of a Conference Final since Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O'Neal in 2002 pic.twitter.com/iU1aLmcdee
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 30, 2025
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While Anthony Towns dropped 24 points, Brunson backed it up with 32 points on the night. Furthermore, the duo backed it up with a combined 8 assists. Thus, with promising signs to take away, it remains to be seen how things will pan out.
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