The New York Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the last two NBA playoffs, but they could have avoided this.
The New York Knicks lost Game 6 of the Indiana Pacers’ Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers have ended their season.
This is the second year in a row that the Pacers have concluded their Knicks season. Last year, the Pacers defeated the incredible Knicks in seven games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Pacers only have a Knicks number and there doesn’t seem to be much they can do about it. Even if that would mean upset Jalen Branson and letting go of Tom Thibodeau, some changes might help.
But in reality, strangely enough, the Knicks actually created their own bogey team.
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In the 2020 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks had their eighth overall pick and were trying to deal with some gaps on the roster.
One of the important needs they had was the position of the point guard. Luckily for them, the best point guard available for them at that point was Tyrees Halliburton.
However, in a strange move, the Knicks decide to forget that Halliburton is a sophomore and choose Obitoppin, who averages 20.0 per game.
To address their point guard issues, the Knicks made a draft night trade for Immanuel Quickly. Halliburton fell to the 12th pick, where the Sacramento Kings chose him.
Read more: Trade with the New York Knicks for the Indiana Pacers is already back to plague them in the Eastern Conference Finals
A few years later, when both players began to develop, the Indiana Pacers appeared in the photos as they landed Tyrees Halliburton in trade with the Kings in 2022.
Prior to the 2023-2024 season, the Knicks appeared to have given up on Obitoppin, trading him for a pacer in exchange for two second picks.
In the subsequent seasons, both Halliburton and Toppin will get some revenge against the Knicks to sniff them.
The Knicks tops Halliburton in 2020. Five years later, both players are responsible for consecutive heartbreaking exits.