One of the NBA’s most iconic playoff rivalries is getting a new chapter.
The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are set to meet in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, reigniting a storied postseason feud that stretches back to their bruising battles of the 1990s.
Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday (PH time), May 22.
Indiana. New York. A rematch of last year's East Semis 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2025
Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and the Pacers square off against Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals!
📺 GAME 1 tips Wednesday at 8:00pm/et on TNT!
This marks the ninth time the two franchises will battle each other in the playoffs. New York won three of the first five meetings, but Indiana has taken the last three, including last year’s dramatic seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals that ended in heartbreak for the Knicks at home.
Regular Season Head-to-Head
New York won the season series against Indiana, 2-1, that included a 123-98 blowout in the Knicks' home opener.
Two weeks later, Bennedict Mathurin erupted for a career-high 38 points to lead Indiana to a 132-121 revenge win. The Pacers used a 40–27 fourth quarter to pull away, a potential omen for how dangerous this team is late in games.
How The Pacers Got Here
Indiana (50-32), seeded fourth in the East, took a winding road to the conference finals after a rocky 9-14 start to the regular season.
The Pacers clawed back to .500 by early January and went on a tear, winning 32 of its final 46 games.
They drew a familiar first-round foe in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the no. 5 Bucks, whom they eliminated in five games.
Indiana took the first two games at home, then responded with a 26-point romp in Game 4 after falling in Game 3. Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning drive with 1.3 seconds left in overtime capped off a 20-point comeback to complete a five-game conquest of Milwaukee.
In the East semis, the Pacers faced their biggest test yet: the 64-win and top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Indiana stunned the top seed by stealing the first two games of the series in Cleveland, including Haliburton’s buzzer-beating triple in Game 2 as Indiana scored the final eight points of the contest in under 48 seconds.
[ALSO READ: Tyrese Haliburton makes dagger three, Pacers stun Cavaliers for 2-0 lead: 'Overrate that']
After dropping Game 3, the Pacers responded with a historic blowout the next outing, leading 80-39 at halftime—tying the largest halftime lead in playoff history. They finished the series in Game 5, rallying from 19 points down to win on the road.
[ALSO READ: Tyrese Haliburton-led Pacers close out Cavaliers in Game 5, advance to East Finals]
Indiana has featured a balanced scoring attack throughout the postseason, with six players averaging double figures. Siakam (18.8 PPG), Haliburton (17.5 PPG), and center Myles Turner (16.5 PPG) led the way, with Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Benedict Mathurin all contributing.
The Pacers also rank first among the remaining four playoff teams in points per game (117.7), field goal percentage (50.1%), 3-point shooting (40.6%), and assists (29.7).
How the Knicks Got Here
The Knicks (52-30) are making their first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals since 2000—and, fittingly, the last time they were here, it was also against the Pacers. Indiana won that series in six games en route to their only NBA Finals appearance.
New York retooled last offseason, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and later trading Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns.
[ALSO READ: New York Knicks-bound Karl-Anthony Towns pens emotional farewell to Minnesota Timberwolves fan base]
The moves paid off.
After a slow start, the Knicks surged during the middle of the season, going on a nine-game winning streak and positioning themselves for a No. 3 seed in the East.
In the first round, the Knicks eliminated the upstart Detroit Pistons in six games capped off by a Jalen Brunson game-winning triple in Game 6 to seal the series win.
[ALSO READ: Jalen Brunson's game-winner sinks Pistons as Knicks barge to East semis]
New York’s biggest statement came in the conference semifinals, where they upset the defending champion Boston Celtics in six games.
The Knicks stunned the Celtics with back-to-back 20-point comeback wins on the road in the first two games of the series.
After losing Game 3, they took control of the next duel in a contest where Jayson Tatum suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
New York went on to close out the series with a 119-81 Game 6 rout, the largest playoff win in franchise history.
[ALSO READ: Knicks oust champion Celtics in Game 6 blowout, make first East Finals trip since 2000]
Brunson averaged more than 28 points per game in the playoffs as he and Towns (19.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg) provided stability as the Knicks dynamic 1-2 punch.
Other key players in OG Anunoby (15.8 PPG), Bridges (15.4 PPG), and Josh Hart (13.2 PPG) rounded out a deep and versatile roster for the Knicks squad under head coach Tom Thibeadeau.
Rivalry Renewed
This Eastern Conference Finals series won’t just decide who advances to the NBA Finals—it’s a revival of a well-documented rivalry that once defined a decade of playoff basketball.
From Reggie Miller’s legendary six-points in eight seconds to Larry Johnson’s iconic four-point play in the 1999 East Finals, the Pacers-Knicks showdown has always delivered drama, intensity, and iconic moments.
For Indiana, it’s a chance to return to the championship for the first time in 25 years and take a shot at claiming the franchise’s first title.
As for New York, it’s an opportunity to finally break through a historic rival and end a championship drought that has lasted since 1973.
