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Pacers’ Immediate Reaction to Knicks Matchup After Celtics Elimination

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated May 17, 2025 12:30 AM ET

There will be a new NBA champion in the 2024-25 NBA season, and it could be either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks, who are still both alive in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

The Knicks ensured that there would be no title repeat for the Boston Celtics, as they dismantled Jaylen Brown and company Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks took six games to dethrone Boston in the second round, punctuating the series with an emphatic 119-81 win in Game 6.

With the Knicks defeating Boston, the Eastern Conference finals matchup is set, with New York and the Indiana Pacers meeting again for the second playoffs in a row.

taking on the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals pic.twitter.com/3wLx962Kxu
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 17, 2025

Upon learning of the Knicks’ series victory over Boston, the Pacers immediately revealed the schedule of each game in the upcoming Eastern Conference championship series.

“Taking on the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals ,” the caption on Indiana’s post read.

The Pacers took a shorter route in the second round of the playoffs, as they needed only five games to stun the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. They also took care of business in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks in only five games.

Indiana and New York met in the playoffs in 2024, but in the second round. The Pacers edged Jalen Brunson and company in seven games despite the Knicks winning the first two meetings in the series and grabbing a 3-2 series lead.

In the 2024-25 NBA regular season, the Knicks and the Pacers met three times, with New York winning twice.

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

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