Pacers' Rick Carlisle Talks Major Challenges Knicks Present

"Probably not that much," Carlisle said. "It's a different time, the dynamics are a lot different. Talk about additions to the roster, like [five-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony] Towns and [All-Defensive Team swingman Mikal] Bridges, it makes a big difference. I don't think [reserve center Mitchell] Robinson played in our series last year. So there's a lot of new elements to it. The playoffs have been going on a while, so we've seen a lot of their games. They're a great team."

Carlisle neglected to mention that the team's second-best player last year, three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, was sidelined for the entire playoffs.

The club traded significant future draft equity and critical contributors — most notably Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo, six first round picks, one pick swap, and two second round draft picks (they actually traded three, but they also acquired another one back) — to acquire Towns and Bridges during the 2024 offseason, while watching former starting center Isaiah Hartenstein depart in free agency.

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"Yeah, there's history there, but we're just focusing in on what's happening right now, I'm sure New York's doing the same. There's still a few days before we start, but we've got to use the time wisely," Carlisle said.

Tactically, New York is a terrific rebounding squad. Carlisle, however, seems undeterred.

"They're just great at it. And they've got great individual rebounders, they've got a lot of tenacity with how they do it, and they've got a real system for how they do it," Carlisle said. "When they get second shots, their efficiency levels are unprecedentedly high, so rebounding the ball is going to be an enormous key in the series."

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