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NBA Legend Magic Johnson's Clear Opinion on East Finals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated May 24, 2025 12:24 AM ET

The Indiana Pacers took a 2-0 lead against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals on Friday, and NBA legend Magic Johnson shared his opinion on why it happened.

Indiana beat New York in thrilling fashion in Game 1, with Tyrese Haliburton sending the game to overtime and the team getting the job done in the extra period for the 138-135 victory.

On Friday, the Pacers proved that their previous win was no fluke, taking down the Knicks once again, 114-109. This time, it was Pascal Siakam who stepped up for the road team, finishing with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting.

Haliburton, meanwhile, recorded a near triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, along with two steals.

The win certainly came as a shock to many, especially since there were high expectations that the Knicks would bounce back and get a win at home after their Game 1 collapse.

Johnson himself admitted that what the Pacers did was quite surprising, but he did praise Rick Carlisle's men for the kind of basketball they played.

In his post immediately after the game, Johnson shared his analysis on how the Pacers were able to beat the Knicks, pointing to their balanced offense and "full court pressure defense" as major factors.

"Indiana Pacers shocked the world again by beating the New York Knicks 114-109 at home," Johnson wrote. "Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 39 points! They are playing great full court pressure defense and excellent team basketball on offense. That’s why they are up 2-0 in the Series!"

Indiana Pacers shocked the world again by beating the New York Knicks 114-109 at home. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 39 points! They are playing great full court pressure defense and excellent team basketball on offense. That’s why they are up 2-0 in the Series!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 24, 2025

Magic Johnson certainly makes a good point. All of the Pacers' starters scored in double figures, while their bench unit also outscored the Knicks' second unit, 21-11.

Defensively, the Pacers also didn't give the Knicks a lot of easy baskets, and they were able to generate some good offense via their defense. Indiana had 17 points off turnovers in the contest.

The Knicks now face a huge problem after falling into a 2-0 hole. After all, no team has ever come back from a 2-0 hole after losing their first two home games. Furthermore, in total, teams that went down 2-0 in conference finals are 6-60 all time.

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

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