Knicks' Worst Playoff Opponent

The New York Knicks are winding the regular season down, where they are likely to end up with the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The one team that could catch them for third place is the Indiana Pacers, who beat the Knicks in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals a year ago.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale believes that the Pacers would be the worst potential first-round matchup for the Knicks.

"Indy has a top-five offense, top-nine defense and top-six net rating over its last 50—50—games. New York is 2-1 against the Pacers on the year. One of those victories came after Indiana turned the corner," Favale writes.

"But the Pacers can play both fast and physical, a uniquely problematic combination for these Knicks. During this same stretch, only five teams allow opponents to spend more time in transition after missing a shot. The returns here are even worse when looking at New York's performances exclusively versus top-10 offenses."

"Guarding Indiana in the half-court can be just as challenging. The Knicks aren't adept at defending bigs who stretch the floor, and the Pacers' "slower" attacks are more dynamic with Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin as alternatives to Tyrese Haliburton."

The Pacers posed these same problems for the Knicks a year ago, and it's part of what led to New York's demise. The two sides might not get to play each other this year if the Pacers hold onto the top-four spot, but a potential meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals could emerge.

In order for the Knicks to play the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, they would likely have to get past either the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, and neither of those teams have had any issues with playing New York this season.