Pacers-Knicks renew a rivalry with memorable moments involving Reggie Miller, Spike Lee and others
NEW YORK (AP) — The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks have faced each other eight times in the postseason.
Those matchups have produced some memorable NBA moments involving Reggie Miller, Spike Lee and others.
With the teams set to meet again in the Eastern Conference finals beginning Wednesday, a look at some of those notable highlights.
Headbutt
The first playoff meeting between the teams came in the first round of the 1993 postseason. The Knicks led 2-0 and were trying to complete a sweep of the best-of-five series when guard John Starks believed Reggie Miller was getting away with fouling him and became frustrated. As they ran downcourt face-to-face exchanging words, Starks leaned in and headbutted Miller. Starks was ejected and the Pacers went on to win the game.
Choke!
The Knicks were up 70-58 after three quarters in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals, seemingly on their way to a 3-2 lead in the series. Miller then scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Pacers to a 93-86 victory, taunting Knicks superfan Spike Lee on the sideline by making a choke signal. The Knicks would win the next two games to reach the NBA Finals.
8 points, 9 seconds
Miller's flurry to steal Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals remains one of the most memorable and improbable comebacks in NBA history. The Knicks led 105-99 before Miller quickly hit a 3-pointer with about 16 seconds left after Indiana inbounded from the sideline. He then stole Anthony Mason's inbounds pass, dribbled backward and fired in another 3 to tie the game. Starks then missed two free throws, Patrick Ewing missed a follow shot and Miller grabbed the rebound and was fouled, hitting both free throws to make it 107-105 with 7.5 seconds remaining.
'Mason choked and threw it to me, I hit a 3, and we almost cost us the game when Sam (Mitchell) made that foul, but John Starks choked and we came up big,' Miller said in his postgame interview with NBC on the court.
LJ's 4-point play
The highlight play of New York's run to the 1999 NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed came in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers. With the Knicks trailing 91-88, Larry Johnson made a 3-pointer as he was fouled by Indiana's Antonio Davis with 5.7 seconds remaining. Johnson hit the free throw to complete the four-point play and the Knicks held on to win 92-91.
A record romp
The Pacers had one of the best offenses in NBA history in 2023-24 and used it to carve up the Knicks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers shot 67.1% from the field, an NBA playoff record, in their 130-109 victory in Madison Square Garden. Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 26 points, then wore a sweatshirt with a picture of Miller making the choke sign to Lee at MSG to his postgame news conference.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Maxwell Moldovan, OSU alum, hits eagle at U.S. Open
Jun 6, 2024; Dublin, Ohio, USA; Maxwell Moldovan plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports An Ohio State alum has one of the early highlights at Oakmont Country Club. On the first hole of his first round at the 2025 U.S. Open Golf Championship, former Buckeyes golfer Maxwell Moldovan needed just two strokes to get his ball into the cup, earning him an eagle on the par-4 hole. Moldovan, who turned pro in June 2024 and in April won his first pro event at the PGA Tour Americas Brazil Open, was one of four players in a field of 83 to qualify out of Springfield Country Club, located in Springfield, Ohio. He put together rounds of 69-65 to go 5 under, which sent him to the U.S. Open. Advertisement This is his fourth straight year competing in the event. Dispatch reporter Rob Oller contributed to this report. Breaking and Trending News Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@ and at @NathanRHart on X and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: See OSU alum hit awesome eagle at U.S. Open
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Game 4 same game parlay – Friday, June 13
NBA picks: Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals | Game 4 same game parlay – Friday, June 13 The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. For same-game parlay suggestions, check out the article below. Watch the NBA with NBA League Pass Successfully hitting the spread, total and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander under 34.5 PTS parlay for the Thunder-Pacers game pays out $56.82 on a $10 bet using the computer picks below. Curious how each of those wagers looks? Continue scrolling to learn more. NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 11:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Thunder vs. Pacers spread pick Favorite: Thunder (-6) Thunder (-6) Pick ATS: Thunder -6 (Projected score: Thunder 119, Pacers 111) Thunder -6 (Projected score: Thunder 119, Pacers 111) Oklahoma City's record against the spread is 53-25-4. The Thunder are 37-20-3 as 6-point favorites or more. Indiana has 38 wins in 82 games against the spread this season. As 6-point underdogs or more, the Pacers are 7-6 against the spread. Thunder vs. Pacers total pick Total: 225.5 225.5 Pick OU: Over 225.5 (Projecting 229.4 total points) Over 225.5 (Projecting 229.4 total points) Oklahoma City has combined with its opponents to score more than 225.5 points in 48 of 82 games this season. In 65.9% of Indiana's games this season (54/82), the teams combined to score more than Friday's over/under of 225.5 points. The Thunder and their opponents have scored an average of 227.5 points per game in 2024-25, 2.0 more than Friday's total. The 225.5-point total for this game is 7.6 points below the 233.1 points per game average total in Pacers games this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander points prop Points prop: OU 34.5 OU 34.5 Pick: Under (Projecting 34.1 points) Under (Projecting 34.1 points) Friday's points prop bet for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 34.5 points. That is 1.8 more than his season average of 32.7. So far this season, Gilgeous-Alexander is 36-for-75 at scoring more than the total set for his points prop. Thunder vs. Pacers game info
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Game 3 loss to Pacers: 'They were aggressive'
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Game 3 loss to Pacers: 'They were aggressive' Matching up against Pascal Siakam, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's signature pull-up mid-range jumper clanked off the rim. A couple of seconds later, he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A lazy steal attempt was enough for Siakam to score the dagger. Don't tell Gilgeous-Alexander which game of a playoff series is Game 3. He finished with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws. He also had three blocks. The Oklahoma City Thunder fell apart late in a 116-107 Game 3 loss to the Indiana Pacers. They're back to trailing in the 2025 NBA Finals in a 2-1 series hole. Throughout the playoffs, Gilgeous-Alexander has had the habit of having a stinker like this. He was due against the Pacers. The jumper abandoned him. He couldn't finesse his way through traffic to score efficiently inside the paint. The free-throw numbers weren't what they usually are. While the box-score stats didn't pop off, Andrew Nembhard had Gilgeous-Alexander running on fumes in the fourth quarter. An impressive feat considering how much he's dominated Indiana all year. This was the best they've looked on that end of the floor this series. For Gilgeous-Alexander, he couldn't take over down the stretch. In a one-possession game with a handful of minutes left, you can't dream up a better scenario. You want the MVP winner to be on your side at the NBA's highest stage. He couldn't deliver as OKC's offense froze up. The Thunder will need Gilgeous-Alexander to be better. It's been said multiple times throughout the playoffs, but Game 4 will be the biggest in OKC's SGA era. He's delivered before in similar situations. He must do it again. These are the situations you put yourself in when you let Game 1 slip away the way it did. "They were aggressive. They were heavy in the crowd. I'm not sure how many points they had, but it felt like when they scored, we're going against a set defense, and it's always harder against a set defense," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Off the top of my head, those are a few things. I'm sure there's probably more we can weave through when we watch film."
