NBA Playoff Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks
Second Round: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks dominated the Boston Celtics in the first three games of their first round playoff series. It appeared to be a foregone conclusion that the Knicks would pull off the sweep of the shorthanded Celtics in four games, but that’s not the way it went with Carmelo Anthony and company losing two games in a row before ultimately sealing the deal in Game 6 in Boston at TD Garden.
With the Knicks eventually coming out on top against the Celtics, New York advances to the second round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. Although these two storied franchises have a lot of history going back to the Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller era, these teams are completely different heading into this series.
The Pacers have been arguably one of the best defensive teams in the league this season and will attempt to continue their dominance on that end of the floor against the Knicks. New York on the other hand has been dominant offensively with the majority of their offense coming from beyond the arc.
Even though the Knicks are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, their dependency on the three-point shot may ultimately be their undoing. New York can easily shoot they’re way out of games meaning that Indiana’s defense may be able to take advance of that fact in this series.
As of right now, the Knicks are favored to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in Las Vegas odds. New York is the better team in this series, but Indiana may be able to make it a series, especially with a win in Game 1.
Although the Pacers may make this a series, I believe the Knicks will ultimately advance.