Great playoff moments in Knicks-Pacers rivalry
The Pacers' Reggie Miller against the Knicks on June 1, 1994. Credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill
Of course it was going to be Knicks-Indiana. Did you expect anything less?
OK, you probably did. Everyone but the most blindly faithful Knicks and Pacers fans predicted that they wouldn’t make it past the second round of the playoffs and we would have the top two seeds, Cleveland and Boston, meeting in the Eastern Conference finals this year.
This, however, is so much better than that. Indianapolis and New York have little in common as cities and infuriatingly few non-stop flights between their airports, but the rivalry between the teams is long and storied.
Here’s a review of the biggest moments from a rivalry that long ago was dubbed Knicks vs. Hicks:
The Head Butt, May 4, 1993
The Knicks, the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1970, were expected to pull off a first-round sweep of a Pacers team that had finished 19 games behind them. The Knicks easily won the first two games and were in a tight Game 3 in Indianapolis when the trash-talking Reggie Miller began working his magic on John Starks. With 8:48 left in the third quarter, Starks lost it and head-butted Miller, who stumbled backward dramatically. Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley practically dragged Starks off the court, he was ejected from the game and the Pacers converted the drama into a 59-34 run to win the game. The Knicks closed out the best-of-five series, 3-1, in the next game, but a rivalry was born.
The Choke Sign, June 1, 1994
With the Eastern Conference finals tied at 2 and the Knicks leading by 12 points entering the fourth quarter of Game 5, Miller went from irritating Starks to irritating the entire Knicks fan base. Miller, while verbally sparring with Spike Lee, scored 25 points in the final period to lead the Pacers to a 93-86 win and a 3-2 lead in the series. He punctuated the performance by throwing a choke sign in Lee’s direction.
Ewing’s Putback Dunk, June 5, 1994
After tying the series with a win in Indianapolis, the Knicks hosted the Pacers with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. With the Knicks trailing 90-89 and 30 seconds to go, Starks drove to the basket but missed the layup. Ewing swooped in for a putback dunk that sent the Knicks to the Finals for the first time in 21 years.
Eight Points in 8.9 Seconds, May 7, 1995
The two teams met in the playoffs for the third straight year, this time in a conference semifinal. With their team up by six and 18.7 seconds left, Knicks fans were getting ready to celebrate a win in Game 1. That’s when Miller hit a three-pointer, stole a bad inbounds pass and sank another three to tie the score. After Starks was fouled and missed both free throws, Miller was fouled by Starks. He made both free throws to clinch the win.
The Finger Roll Game, May 21, 1995
The series again came down to a Game 7, and Game 7 again came down to the final seconds. This time, however, it was the Pacers who advanced to the next round as Ewing missed a driving finger-roll layup at the buzzer. The game was Pat Riley’s last as coach of the Knicks.
More Reggie, May 10, 1998
After upsetting the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks advanced to play the heavily favored Pacers. Down 2-1, the Knicks were seconds away from tying the series when Miller hit a three with five seconds left in regulation to tie the score. The Pacers went to win Game 4 in overtime and took the series, 4-1.
Johnson’s Four-Point Play, June 5, 1999
The teams met again in the Eastern Conference finals. In Game 6, the Pacers had a 91-88 lead and were seconds away from tying the series when Larry Johnson hit a three and was fouled. He hit the free throw and the Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals.
Reggie Again, June 2, 2000
Miller scored 34 points and was 5-for-7 from downtown in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The effort helped break open a game that was tied at 62 after three quarters as the Pacers advanced to their first NBA Finals with a 93-80 win.
Carmelo Denied, May 18, 2013
Roy Hibbert gave Knicks fans a sad enduring image when he blocked Carmelo Anthony’s dunk late in Game 6 of the second-round meeting. Indiana won the game, 106-99, and advanced.
Knicks’ Last Gasp, May 19, 2024
A banged-up Knicks team was no match for the Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers closed out the series by making 67% of their shots in a game in which Jalen Brunson broke his hand.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
