Knicks-Pacers rivalry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers

History
Post Season Meetings	18–17 (IND)
1993 Eastern Conference First Round 1993 NBA Playoffs The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992-1993 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their third consecutive championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns four...	Knicks won, 3–1
1994 Eastern Conference Finals 1994 NBA Playoffs The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals...	Knicks won, 4-3
1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals 1995 NBA Playoffs The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...	Pacers won, 4-3
1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals 1998 NBA Playoffs The 1998 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997-98 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their sixth championship of the decade by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz four...	Pacers won, 4–1
1999 Eastern Conference Finals 1999 NBA Playoffs The 1999 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1998-99 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs by defeating the eighth-seeded Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks four games to one...	Knicks won, 4–2
2000 Eastern Conference Finals 2000 NBA Playoffs The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...	Pacers won, 4–2

The Knicks-Pacers rivalry started in 1993 and quickly became one of the most bitter rivalries in NBA history. The Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing

Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...

, met the Reggie Miller

Reggie Miller

Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...

-led Pacers in the playoffs 6 times from 1993-2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between Miller and prominent Knick fan Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....

. The bitter rivalry was likened by Miller to the Hatfield–McCoy feud, and described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

in 1998 as being "as combustible as any in the league".

The rivalry gave Miller the nickname "The Knick Killer". Miller's clutch performances were frequently followed by jabs at Lee such as the fourth quarter choke sign, adding fuel to the greater team rivalry.

1993 Eastern Conference First Round: First Meeting

The two teams first met in postseason play in the first round of the 1993 NBA Playoffs

1993 NBA Playoffs

The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992-1993 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their third consecutive championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns four...

. The Knicks, led by Ewing, Charles Oakley

Charles Oakley

Charles Oakley is a retired American professional basketball player and is currently an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association...

, John Starks

John Starks (basketball)

John Levell Starks is a former American professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career...

, Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers

Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers is a former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Rivers was known for his defense while playing in the NBA...

, and Coach of the Year

NBA Coach of the Year Award

The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...

Pat Riley

Patrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...

had amassed a 60–22 record-the best in the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference (NBA)

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...

-and earned the top seed in the East. The Pacers, with Miller, the "Dunkin' Dutchman" Rik Smits

Rik Smits

Rik Smits is a retired Dutch professional basketball player who spent his entire professional career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. The 7'4" center was drafted by the Pacers out of Marist College with the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft...

, versatile Detlef Schrempf

Detlef Schrempf

Detlef Schrempf is a retired German NBA basketball player.-High school and college career:...

, and Dale Davis

Dale Davis (basketball)

Elliott Lydell Davis is a former American professional basketball player who played center and power forward. He is 6'11" and weighs 252 pounds....

barely squeaked into the playoffs with a 41–41 record, thanks to the tiebreaker over the Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

. The Knicks won the first two games at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

before the Pacers won the first of two contests at Market Square Arena

Market Square Arena

Market Square Arena was an indoor arena, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Completed in 1974, at a cost of $23 million, it seated 16,530, for basketball and 15,993, for ice hockey.-History:...

. Game 3 is remembered as being a precursor for the rivalry over the next decade, as trash-talking between Miller and Starks culminated with Starks delivering a headbutt

Headbutt

A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...

to Miller in the 3rd quarter, leading to his ejection. The Knicks, however, took Game 4 and advanced to defeat the Charlotte Hornets before bowing out to the Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...

-led Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

. (The playoff format had a best-of-five first round until 2003.) The Pacers would fire their head coach Bob Hill

Bob Hill

Robert W. Hill is an American basketball coach. Hill grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio moving to Worthington, Ohio for high school. Upon graduating from high School, Hill entered Bowling Green State University. Hill is currently the head coach of the Tokyo Apache in Japan...

and hire the nomadic but legendary Larry Brown

Larry Brown (basketball)

Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....

1994 Eastern Conference Finals: Miller Time

The Pacers got their first chance at revenge against the Knicks the following year in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals

1994 NBA Playoffs

The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals...

. Brown traded Schrempf for Derrick McKey

Derrick McKey

Derrick Wayne McKey is a retired American basketball player who played the most part of his NBA career between the small forward and the power forward positions.-Early life and college career:...

and also added rookie forward Antonio Davis

Antonio Davis

Antonio Lee Davis is a retired American National Basketball Association player. Davis is also the former president of the NBA Players Association .-College career:...

, veteran Byron Scott

Byron Scott (basketball)

Byron Antom Scott is a retired American National Basketball Association player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University, but left school in his junior year to...

, and journeyman point guard Haywoode Workman

Haywoode Workman

Haywoode Wilvon Workman is a retired American basketball player, and active NBA referee.He played the point guard position at 6'2", and played 359 games in eight NBA seasons for five teams from 1989 to 2000...

. They finished with a 47-35 record and the fifth seed in the East, winning the final eight games of the regular season. They swept Orlando and upset the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

, winning in six games.

Meanwhile, the Knicks, following Jordan's first retirement, were heavily favored to win the East. Rivers was lost for the season with a knee injury in December, but the Knicks were able to acquire Derek Harper

Derek Harper

Derek Ricardo Harper is a retired American professional basketball player from the University of Illinois, who spent 16 seasons as a point guard in the National Basketball Association with the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.-College:After graduating from...

from the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

to replace him. Despite winning the Atlantic Division

Atlantic Division (NBA)

The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors...

, they lost the top seed in the East to the Hawks; both teams finished 57–25 and they split the season series 2–2, but the Hawks won the tiebreaker. The Knicks beat the Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

in 4, then finally beat the Bulls in 7 to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Pacers were waiting.

Both teams won their first two home games. However, in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

, Miller became a household name on June 1, 1994, when he scored 39 points total and 25 in the fourth quarter of the Pacers' 93-86 victory. Miller made several long three-pointers during the quarter while engaging himself in an animated discussion of his ongoing performance with Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....

, who was seated courtside. The win gave the Pacers a 3–2 series lead over the Knicks, but Indiana lost the next two games and the series. Patrick Ewing scored the decisive points off a put-back dunk in Game 7 with 26.9 seconds left. After the 94-90 victory, the New York Daily News ran a cover story with Lee's picture and the headline, "Thanks A Lot Spike".

1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals: The Knick Killer

By virtue of the previous year's seven game series between the two teams, the Knicks and Pacers were now rivals, but the Pacers had yet to answer their foe's last two playoff series wins. The Pacers addressed their need for a point guard by acquiring then-former Knick Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson (basketball)

Mark A. Jackson is a retired American professional basketball player and the current head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He played point guard for the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets in the NBA in a career...

from the Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

. The returning Pacers also stepped up their game. Smits enjoyed his best NBA season, averaged career highs of 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, Miller continued to lead the team with 19.6 points per game with a .415 3-point percentage (15th in the league) and a .897 free throw percentage (4th in the league) and was a starter in the 1995 NBA All-Star Game

1995 NBA All-Star Game

The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was the 45th edition of the All-Star Game. The Western Conference won 139-112. The city of Phoenix hosted the event. Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings was voted MVP of the game.-Eastern Conference:-Western Conference:...

and member of the All-NBA Third Team

All-NBA Team

The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The team has been selected in every season of the...

. Derrick McKey played both the third scorer and provider of intangibles, placing third on the team in both scoring and rebounding, second in assists, and first in steals, earning a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team

NBA All-Defensive Team

The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches; the coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their own team...

. Winning the first division title and achieving its first 50-win season since joining the NBA from the ABA with a record of 52–30, the second-seeded Pacers swept the Hawks in the first round.

The Knicks, fresh from the previous year's Finals appearance, worked hard to return to the Finals. Forward Anthony Mason, who was eventually named the 1995 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 9.9 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Ewing (top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and shotblocking), Starks (15.3 points per game), and others would put up their usually efficient production. Placing second in the Atlantic Division to the Magic with a 55–27 record and the third seed, the Knicks dispatched the Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

in 4. With the better record, the Knicks had home-court advantage over the Pacers again, setting the stage for another memorable series.

In Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, it was Miller Time again as Reggie Miller amazingly scored 8 points in the final 18.7 seconds: a 3-pointer followed by stealing the inbounds pass and quickly hitting another 3 to tie the game and 2 free throws, erasing the Knicks' 105-99 lead and stealing the game, 107-105. The stunned Knicks settled for a 2-game home split with a 96-77 victory, but the Pacers won the next 2 at Market Square Arena 97-95 and 98-84 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Knicks won Game 5 in the Garden 96-95 on Ewing's game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds left to stay alive, and won Game 6 on the road 92-82 to force a decisive Game 7. But the Pacers prevailed in the Garden 97-95, after Ewing missed a potential game-tying layup as time expired. Pat Riley resigned the day after the 1995 NBA Finals

1995 NBA Finals

The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994–95 NBA season. The series pitted the Orlando Magic against the Houston Rockets. The pre-series hype and build-up of the Finals was centered around the meeting of the two centers Shaquille O'Neal of the Magic and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets...

ended, and Don Nelson

Don Nelson

Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....

, who had recently stepped down as the Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

head coach, became Riley's successor.

1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Miller Does It Again

After a 2-year hiatus, the two teams renewed their rivalry in the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unlike the previous 2 meetings, the Indiana Pacers were heavy favorites. The Knicks were without their star center Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing

who suffered a severe wrist injury early in the regular season. Ewing returned to the line-up in Game 2, but wasn't 100%. The Knicks managed to make the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks upset the 2nd seeded Miami Heat

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

in 5 games in their first round match-up, while the Pacers disposed of the 6th seed Cleveland Cavaliers 3–1.

Indiana won Games 1 and 2 at Market Square Arena to take a 2-0 lead. At home in Game 3, the Knicks were able to bounce back and win 83-76 behind a strong performance by Ewing, who finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds, and a strong defensive effort. Game 4 was a sharp contrast from the defensive struggle of the first 3 games of the series that saw the two teams engaged in a high scoring affair that the Pacers ended up winning 118-107 in OT behind another strong performance by Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden. Miller hit a 3 with 5.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 102 and force OT. He finished with 38 points. Indiana also got strong performances from Rik Smits

Rik Smits

(23 points, 8 rebounds), Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson (basketball)

(16 points, 15 assists) and Chris Mullin

Chris Mullin (basketball)

Christopher Paul Mullin is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He has also been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....

(18 points, 5 steals). Indiana clinched the series with a 99–88 win in Game 5 despite a strong performance from New York guard Allan Houston

Allan Houston

Allan Wade Houston is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, and currently the Assistant General Manager for the New York Knicks. He was one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA until a knee injury forced him to retire...

1999 Eastern Conference Finals: LJ's 4-Point Play

In the lockout shortened 1998–99 NBA season, the New York Knicks had a disappointing regular season despite having a healthy Patrick Ewing and the controversial additions of talented guard Latrell Sprewell

Latrell Sprewell

Latrell Fontaine Sprewell is a former American professional basketball player. During his time as a professional, Sprewell was named to the NBA All-Star game during four seasons, and played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves...

and Marcus Camby

Marcus Camby

Marcus D. Camby is an American professional basketball player, who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. He is a former Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading the league in blocked shots per game...

, who were acquired in trades for crowd favorites Starks and Oakley, respectively. However, New York was able to sneak into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed with a 27–23 record. The Indiana Pacers finished as the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 33–17 record, and were considered by many to be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference with the breakup of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls

. The 8h seeded Knicks were able to knock off 1st seeded Miami for the 2nd year in a row after Allan Houston made the game-winning shot in Game 5 that bounced off the front of the rim, off the backboard, and into the hoop with 0.8 seconds left. This was only the second time in NBA history that a number eight seed beat a number one seed in the first round. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks stunned the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

, sweeping them 4–0. Meanwhile the Pacers were on a roll in the playoffs, sweeping both the seventh seeded Bucks 3–0, and the sixth seeded 76ers 4–0.

The Knicks won Game 1 on the road 93-90 behind strong performances from Ewing, Sprewell, Houston, and Larry Johnson. The Pacers settled for a split at Market Square Arena, defeating New York 88-86 in Game 2. However, the bigger loss for the Knicks appeared to be the loss of Ewing to an Achilles' tendon injury. Ewing was out for the rest of the playoffs. However, with the series heading back to New York the Knicks played inspired basketball. New York won Game 3 92-91 behind strong performances from Johnson (26 points and 8 rebounds) and Camby (21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals). It was Johnson's 4-point play, on a controversial foul call on Antonio Davis, that ended up as the deciding points. The Pacers shook off the call, and the loss to win Game 4 at Madison Square Garden 90-78 to even the series back up a two games apiece. With the series shifting back to Indiana for Game 5, and the Knicks without Ewing, New York's Cinderella run

Cinderella (sports)

In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...

appeared to be inevitably over. But the Knicks again played inspired in Game 5, and won 101-94 at Market Square Arena despite a 30-point performance from Miller, to take a 3–2 lead with a chance to clinch in New York. New York was anchored by strong performances from Sprewell (29 points) and Camby (21 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks). The Knicks suffered yet another blow in Game 6, with Larry Johnson going down with an injury early in the first half. But, Allan Houston's 32 points, couple with one of the worst postseason performances of Miller's career (Miller was limited to 8 points on 3 of 18 shooting), New York beat Indiana 90-82 to clinch the series 4–2. With their victory, the Knicks became the first eighth seeded team to reach the NBA Finals

NBA Finals

The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....

. As of today, the 1999 New York Knicks remain the only eighth seeded team to reach the Finals.

2000 Eastern Conference Finals: Pacers Get To The NBA Finals

The Pacers finished the regular season 56–26 and clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers were pushed to the limit in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

, led by Ray Allen

Ray Allen

Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...

. In the decisive Game 5, Reggie Miller

Reggie Miller

Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...

tied his career playoff high by scoring 41 points to win the series. After beating Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...

's Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

in six games, the Pacers had once again reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks, the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, swept the sixth seed Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...

in 3. The Knicks were once again matched up against the Miami Heat

Miami Heat

, and won the series in 7.

The Pacers, having home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs, won the first two games against the Knicks in their first year at the newly constructed Conseco Fieldhouse

Conseco Fieldhouse

Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...

. Returning to New York, the Knicks evened up the series at two by winning the following two games at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

. The Pacers won the next game at home, and then Game 6 93-80 behind Reggie Miller's game-high 34 points, (5–7 from downtown). Reggie scored 17 points in the fourth quarter (3–3 from downtown) as the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first (and so far, only) time in franchise history.

Aftermath

The Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999 (coincidentally, after Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...

's first and second retirements, respectively), but lost in 1994 by the Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

in seven games, though they were up 3–2 in the series, and in 1999 in an uneventful five games by the San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

. The Knicks defeat in 1994 denied New York City the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championship

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

s in the same year, as their home court

Madison Square Garden

hosted the Rangers

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years

Curse of 1940

The Curse of 1940, also called Dutton's Curse, was a superstitious explanation for why the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League did not win the league's championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, from 1940 to 1994.-Popular theories:...

following their win over the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals

1994 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...

while the series was in New York. (The Rockets had home court advantage during the 1994 Finals).

The Pacers finally reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Knicks in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, eventually losing to the Lakers in the Finals. The playoff battles between these two franchises led to some of the greatest moments in NBA playoff history, such as Larry Johnson's 4-point play in the waning seconds of Game 3 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller's 25 4th quarter points in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, and Miller's 8 points in the last 18.7 seconds to win Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Despite the animosity between the 2 teams, Miller was featured in a cameo in the 1998 film He Got Game

He Got Game

He Got Game is a 1998 American sports-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife...

, directed by Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....

. During Miller's final game at Madison Square Garden, the crowd began to chant Miller's name, and Miller and Spike Lee embraced at the game's end.

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