The New York Knicks were almost always in the driver’s seat in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks even had a moment during the game where their lead increased to 17 points.

The Pacers rallied to beat the Knicks, 138-135, on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The final NBA Playoffs series on TNT is an Eastern Conference Finals that is a throwback to the 90s and a rematch of a second round series from last season with the Indiana Pacers visiting the New York Knicks, starting on Wednesday, May 21 with Game 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Carlisle is still tough and still demanding, but he has learned that collaboration is a lot easier to navigate than confrontation.

In three regular-season matchups during the 2024-25 campaign, the New York Knicks won two games to one over the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers use an 11-man rotation and the Knicks lean harder on their starting lineup than any other team. The Pacers hope that works in their favor.

The Knicks haven't always put together consistent 48-minute performances. They can't afford to have that issue against the Indiana Pacers.

The Eastern Conference Finals tip off Wednesday when the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks rivalry gets renewed with a title trip on the line. The last time the Pacers went to the NBA Finals was in 2000 after sending the New York Knicks home.

The Pacers' success, particularly on offense, is the product of a group of players that has bought in and a coach that has evolved.

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle still prefers brutal honesty to nuance. It's not who he is — and these young Pacers embrace it. Yes, after winning nearly 1,000 regular season games, one NBA title and surviving 23 up-and-down seasons as an NBA head coach,