Game 1 of the second round between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers will take place on Monday. Both teams made it through the first round in six games.
The Knicks came through a hard-fought series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pacers managed to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Indiana and New York had an epic rivalry throughout much of the 1990s. The two teams met six times over eight seasons in the playoffs from 1993 to 2000. Each team won the series three times.
The last time the Pacers met the Knicks in the playoffs was 2013. In that second-round matchup, Indiana advanced in six games.
As of this writing, New York is listed as a -245 favorite according to DraftKings Sportsbook to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Furthermore, the vast majority of sports media members choose the series favorite.
On Saturday, ESPN released NBA experts’ predictions for who will advance between the Knicks and Pacers (as well as the Nuggets and Timberwolves). Fifteen experts made their picks, and all 15 predicted the Knicks would prevail.