INDIANAPOLIS — One of the NBA’s biggest rivalries is back in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Starting Monday night, the Pacers and the Knicks will face off in the best of seven series. The match-up brings back memories of the mid-1990s where the Knicks and Pacers faced off in many contentious playoff series.
Derek Schultz is a sports personality in Indianapolis. He feels as if the series put the Pacers on the map.
“I think it’s really a big part of the sports fabric here in this city,” explained Schultz.
“It was really kind of a coming out party not only for Reggie Miller, but for Indianapolis as a sports city. Before then you only knew Indianapolis for the Indy 500 and basically nothing else.”
The series went to 7-games in 1994 with the Pacers giving up a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
RELATED VIDEO | Check out some highlights from Pacers vs. Knicks in 1994
The Knicks would go on to fall to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.
In 1995, the Pacers and Knicks met again in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals where Reggie Miller pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history with 8-points in 9 seconds to secure game one in Madison Square Garden.
RELATED VIDEO | Looking back at Reggie Miller's 8 points in 9 seconds
The Pacers would go on to win in seven games sending them to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Magic.
The next notable series came in 2013 when a Paul George lead Pacer team went head to head against Carmelo Anthony’s New York Knicks.
The Pacers won the series in 6 games thanks to a key block from Roy Hibbert in the fourth quarter of game six.
RELATED VIDEO | Relive Roy Hibbert's massive block of Carmelo Anthony in 2013
Last week, the Knicks beat the 76ers and the Pacers beat the Bucks to set up a second round showdown.
The series’ first two games will be played on Monday and Wednesday in New York with Games 3 and 4 being played in Indianapolis.
If necessary, the teams will alternate home and away for games 5-7.
