Knicks–Pacers rivalry

New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers
History
Post Season Meetings	18–17 (IND)
1993 Eastern Conference First Round	Knicks won, 3–1
1994 Eastern Conference Finals	Knicks won, 4-3
1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals	Pacers won, 4-3
1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals	Pacers won, 4–1
1999 Eastern Conference Finals	Knicks won, 4–2
2000 Eastern Conference Finals	Pacers won, 4–2

The Knicks-Pacers rivalry started in 1993 and quickly became one of the most bitter rivalries in NBA history. The Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing, met the Reggie Miller-led Pacers in the playoffs 6 times from 1993-2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between Miller and prominent Knick fan Spike Lee. The bitter rivalry was likened by Miller to the Hatfield–McCoy feud, and described by The New York Times in 1998 as being "as combustible as any in the league".

The rivalry gave Miller the nickname "The Knick Killer". Miller's clutch performances were frequently followed by jabs at Lee such as the fourth quarter choke sign, adding fuel to the greater team rivalry.

1993 Eastern Conference First Round: First Meeting

The two teams first met in postseason play in the first round of the 1993 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks, led by Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks, Doc Rivers, and Coach of the Year Pat Riley had amassed a 60–22 record-the best in the Eastern Conference-and earned the top seed in the East. The Pacers, with Miller, the "Dunkin' Dutchman" Rik Smits, versatile Detlef Schrempf, and Dale Davis barely squeaked into the playoffs with a 41–41 record, thanks to the tiebreaker over the Magic. The Knicks won the first two games at Madison Square Garden before the Pacers won the first of two contests at Market Square Arena. Game 3 is remembered as being a precursor for the rivalry over the next decade, as trash-talking between Miller and Starks culminated with Starks headbutting Miller in the 3rd quarter, leading to his ejection. The Knicks, however, took Game 4 and advanced to defeat the Hornets before bowing out to the Michael Jordan-led Bulls. (The playoff format had a best-of-five first round until 2003.) The Pacers would fire their head coach Bob Hill and hire the nomadic but legendary Larry Brown.

1994 Eastern Conference Finals: Miller Time

The Pacers got their first chance at revenge against the Knicks the following year in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Brown traded Schrempf for Derrick McKey and also added rookie forward Antonio Davis, veteran Byron Scott, and journeyman point guard Haywoode Workman. They finished with a 47-35 record and the fifth seed in the East, winning the final eight games of the regular season. They swept Orlando and upset the top-seeded Hawks, winning in six games.

Meanwhile, the Knicks, following Jordan's first retirement, were heavily favored to win the East. Rivers was lost for the season with a knee injury in December, but the Knicks were able to acquire Derek Harper from the Mavericks to replace him. Despite winning the Atlantic Division, they lost the top seed in the East to the Hawks; both teams finished 57–25 and they split the season series 2–2, but the Hawks won the tiebreaker. The Knicks beat the Nets in 4, then finally beat the Bulls in 7 to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Pacers were waiting.

Both teams won their first two home games. However, in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, Miller became a household name on June 1, 1994, when he scored 39 points total and 25 in the fourth quarter of the Pacers' 93-86 victory. Miller made several long three-pointers during the quarter while engaging himself in an animated discussion of his ongoing performance with Spike Lee, who was seated courtside. The win gave the Pacers a 3–2 series lead over the Knicks, but Indiana lost the next two games and the series. Patrick Ewing scored the decisive points off a put-back dunk in Game 7 with 26.9 seconds left. After the 94-90 victory, the New York Daily News ran a cover story with Lee's picture and the headline, "Thanks A Lot Spike".

1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals: The Knick Killer

By virtue of the previous year's seven game series between the two teams, the Knicks and Pacers were now rivals, but the Pacers had yet to answer their foe's last two playoff series wins. The Pacers addressed their need for a point guard by acquiring then-former Knick Mark Jackson from the Clippers. The returning Pacers also stepped up their game. Smits enjoyed his best NBA season, averaged career highs of 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, Miller continued to lead the team with 19.6 points per game with a .415 3-point percentage (15th in the league) and a .897 free throw percentage (4th in the league) and was a starter in the 1995 NBA All-Star Game and member of the All-NBA Third Team. Derrick McKey played both the third scorer and provider of intangibles, placing third on the team in both scoring and rebounding, second in assists, and first in steals, earning a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Winning the first division title and achieving its first 50-win season since joining the NBA from the ABA with a record of 52–30, the second-seeded Pacers swept the Hawks in the first round.

The Knicks, fresh from the previous year's Finals appearance, worked hard to return to the Finals. Forward Anthony Mason, who was eventually named the 1995 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 9.9 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Ewing (top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and shotblocking), Starks (15.3 points per game), and others would put up their usually efficient production. Placing second in the Atlantic Division to the Magic with a 55–27 record and the third seed, the Knicks dispatched the Cavs in 4. With the better record, the Knicks had home-court advantage over the Pacers again, setting the stage for another memorable series.

In Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, it was Miller Time again as Reggie Miller amazingly scored 8 points in the final 18.7 seconds: a 3-pointer followed by stealing the inbounds pass and quickly hitting another 3 to tie the game and 2 free throws, erasing the Knicks' 105-99 lead and stealing the game, 107-105. The stunned Knicks settled for a 2-game home split with a 96-77 victory, but the Pacers won the next 2 at Market Square Arena 97-95 and 98-84 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Knicks won Game 5 in the Garden 96-95 on Ewing's game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds left to stay alive, and won Game 6 on the road 92-82 to force a decisive Game 7. But the Pacers prevailed in the Garden 97-95, after Ewing missed a potential game-tying layup as time expired. Pat Riley resigned the day after the 1995 NBA Finals ended, and Don Nelson, who had recently stepped down as the Warriors head coach, became Riley's successor.

1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Miller Does It Again

After a 2-year hiatus, the two teams renewed the rivalry in the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unlike the previous 2 meetings, the Pacers were heavy favorites. The Knicks were without their star center Patrick Ewing, who suffered a severe wrist injury early in the regular season. Ewing returned to the lineup in Game 2, but wasn't 100%. The Knicks managed to make the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks upset the 2nd seeded Heat in 5 games in their first round match-up, while the Pacers disposed of the 6th seeded Cavaliers 3–1.

Indiana won Games 1 and 2 at Market Square Arena to take a 2-0 lead. At home in Game 3, the Knicks were able to bounce back and win 83-76 behind a strong performance by Ewing, who finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds, and a strong defensive effort. Game 4 was a sharp contrast from the defensive struggles of the series' first 3 games, as the two teams engaged in a high scoring affair at the Garden that the Pacers won 118-107 in OT behind another strong performance by Miller, who hit a 3 with 5.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 102 and force OT. He finished with 38 points. Indiana also got strong performances from Rik Smits (23 points, 8 rebounds), Mark Jackson (16 points, 15 assists), and Chris Mullin (18 points, 5 steals). Indiana clinched the series with a 99–88 win in Game 5 despite a strong performance from New York guard Allan Houston.

1999 Eastern Conference Finals: LJ's 4-Point Play

In the lockout shortened 1998–99 NBA season, the Knicks had a disappointing regular season, despite having a healthy Ewing and the controversial additions of talented guard Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby, who were acquired in trades for crowd favorites Starks and Oakley, respectively. However, New York was able to sneak into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed with a 27–23 record. The Pacers finished as the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 33–17 record, and were considered by many to be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference with the breakup of Michael Jordan and the Bulls. The 8th seeded Knicks were able to knock off 1st seeded Miami for the 2nd year in a row after Allan Houston made the game-winning shot in Game 5 that bounced off the front of the rim, off the backboard, and into the hoop with 0.8 seconds left. This was only the second time in NBA history that a number eight seed beat a number one seed in the first round. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks stunned the Hawks, sweeping them 4–0. Meanwhile the Pacers were on a roll in the playoffs, sweeping both the seventh seeded Bucks 3–0, and the sixth seeded 76ers 4–0.

The Knicks won Game 1 on the road 93-90 behind strong performances from Ewing, Sprewell, Houston, and Larry Johnson. The Pacers settled for a split at Market Square Arena, defeating New York 88-86 in Game 2. However, the bigger loss for the Knicks appeared to be the loss of Ewing to an Achilles' tendon injury. Ewing was out for the rest of the playoffs. However, with the series heading back to New York the Knicks played inspired basketball. New York won Game 3 92-91 behind strong performances from Johnson (26 points and 8 rebounds) and Camby (21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals). It was Johnson's 4-point play, on a controversial foul call on Antonio Davis, that ended up as the deciding points. The Pacers shook off the call, and the loss to win Game 4 at Madison Square Garden 90-78 to even the series back up at two games apiece. With the series shifting back to Indiana for Game 5, and the Knicks without Ewing, New York's Cinderella run appeared to be inevitably over. But the Knicks again played inspired in Game 5, and won 101-94 at Market Square Arena despite a 30-point performance from Miller, to take a 3–2 lead with a chance to clinch in New York. New York was anchored by strong performances from Sprewell (29 points) and Camby (21 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks). The Knicks suffered yet another blow in Game 6, with Larry Johnson going down with an injury early in the first half. But Allan Houston's 32 points, coupled with one of the worst postseason performances of Miller's career (Miller was limited to 8 points on 3-of-18 shooting), New York beat Indiana 90-82 to clinch the series 4–2. With their victory, the Knicks became the first eighth seeded team to reach the NBA Finals. As of today, the 1999 New York Knicks remain the only eighth seeded team to reach the Finals.

2000 Eastern Conference Finals: Pacers Get To The NBA Finals

The Pacers finished the regular season 56–26 and clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers were pushed to the limit in the first round by the Bucks, led by Ray Allen. In the decisive Game 5, Reggie Miller tied his career playoff high by scoring 41 points to win the series. After beating Allen Iverson's 76ers in six games, the Pacers had once again reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks, the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, swept the sixth seeded Raptors in 3. The Knicks were once again matched up against the Heat, and won the series in 7.

The Pacers, having home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs, won the first two games against the Knicks in their first year at the newly constructed Conseco Fieldhouse. Returning to New York, the Knicks evened up the series at two by winning the following two games at Madison Square Garden. The Pacers won the next game at home, and then Game 6 93-80 behind Reggie Miller's game-high 34 points, (5–7 from downtown). Reggie scored 17 points in the fourth quarter (3–3 from downtown) as the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first (and so far, only) time in franchise history.

Aftermath

The Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999 (coincidentally, after Michael Jordan's first and second retirements, respectively), but lost in 1994 by the Rockets in seven games, though they were up 3–2 in the series, and in 1999 in an uneventful five games by the Spurs. The Knicks defeat in 1994 denied New York City the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year, as their home court hosted the Rangers first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years following their win over the Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals while the series was in New York. (The Rockets had home court advantage during the 1994 Finals).

The Pacers finally reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Knicks in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, eventually losing to the Lakers in the Finals. The playoff battles between these two franchises led to some of the greatest moments in NBA playoff history, such as Larry Johnson's 4-point play in the waning seconds of Game 3 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller's 25 4th quarter points in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, and Miller's 8 points in the last 18.7 seconds to win Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Despite the animosity between the 2 teams, Miller was featured in a cameo in the 1998 film He Got Game, directed by Spike Lee. During Miller's final game at Madison Square Garden, the crowd began to chant Miller's name, and Miller and Lee embraced at the game's end.

References

• Winning Time: Reggie Miller v. the New York Knicks