Knicks Make Playoff History Against the Pacers on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 21, 2025 10:33 PM ET

This year's Eastern Conference finals in the NBA were billed as a revival of an old rivalry from the 1990s between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.

But unlike those battles from years ago between these two teams, Game 1 of this year's matchup has been a shootout thus far.

The Knicks went on a surge in the second quarter to take a seven-point lead at halftime. In fact, they scored 69 points and shot 51% from the field and 42.1% from 3-point range while three of their players scored at least a dozen points.

Their 69 first-half points tied a franchise record for the most points they have ever scored in the first half of a playoff game.

Knicks tied their franchise playoff record for points scored in a first half (69).

New York leads Indiana by 7.pic.twitter.com/YtlWlYxnGi
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 22, 2025

Back in the day, playoff games between the Knicks and Pacers were guaranteed to be very low-scoring and slow-paced. But Game 1 has featured a relatively fast pace while still being physical and intense.

Jalen Brunson, the heart and soul of the Knicks, led the way in the first half with 18 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and five rebounds. Both men were named as starters in this season's All-Star game.

It is a big surprise to see both teams get this far in the playoffs. Indiana went 50-32 and finished fourth in the East during the regular season, while the Knicks were the third seed with a 51-31 record and were considered a disappointment.

But Indiana upset the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won 64 regular-season games, in the second round of the playoffs, while New York shocked the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

These two teams met in the second round of last year's playoffs, with Indiana outlasting a hobbled Knicks squad in seven games.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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