The New York Knicks are back at the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, head coach Tom Thibodeau is not satisfied and hopes the New York Knicks will go all the way and win the championship.
The New York Knicks have not won a title since 1973. You only need eight wins to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The road to the East Finals was challenging for the New York Knicks.
They had to start the 2025 playoffs with a rise from superstar Kade Cunningham and a tough, very physical matchup against the Detroit Pistons. They ultimately won six games thanks to Jalen Brunson’s Clutch Heroics.
In the second round, the Knicks were underdogs when they faced the Boston Celtics. But in an astonishing way, they beat the Celtics on the home floor for the first two games of the series, eliminating hopes for their back-to-back titles with a dominant game six finish.
The Knicks now face the Indiana Pacers and renew their old rivalry from the 1990s.
And for Stephen A. Smith, he has great concerns about how New York will fare against Indiana in their looming matchup.
“Can the Pacers stop scoring? They’re a very balanced offensive team. They’re number one in field goal percentage and number one in 3-point field goal percentage.
“So these siblings can put the ball in the hole and there are no superstars,” said Smith, a lifelong Knicks fan, in the first half of ESPN’s Western Conference Finals Game 1 coverage.
“Well, here’s the problem, there are a lot of options in terms of creating offensive skills when you don’t have a superstar.
“I mean, you turn around and everyone is doing something for you. This is what the Indiana Pacers can do.”
The Red Hot Pacers are the best offensive team in the NBA this postseason, surpassing the statistics of teams supporting field goal shooting (50.1%), three-point rating (40.6%) and second place in points (117.7) (29.7).
They hold their second offensive rating at 117.3 just behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who they eliminated in the previous round.
From the fast-paced, high-octane crimes presented by the Pacers, another challenge the Knicks have to deal with is how they are maintained within Thibodeau’s polarization distribution among his starters.
Paul George chose the Pacers to win the series.
But in the end, Smith’s unwavering faith in the Knicks has not been shaken up as he believes he will reach the NBA Finals and will last longer on Pacers.
“It’s an epic matchup. It’s something I can’t wait to see,” an ESPN expert added.
“I believe there will be Game Seven at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks will be within 48 minutes of returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. That’s what I expect.”
Game 1 between the Knicks and the Pacers is set at Madison Square Garden on May 21st.