Get your Sony Discman ready, because this is so 1990s.
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are ready to play each other in a playoff series for the first time since 2013. What was a regular occurrence in the ‘90s, when these two squads faced off in six postseason series over eight years, is happening again.
This one will be fun.
The Pacers, which downed the Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 in Round 1, are hoping to move onto the conference finals for the first time since 2014. The Knicks, which just beat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games, haven’t advanced that far since 2000, when they played — not so shockingly — the Pacers, who beat them to move onto the finals.
These two teams already have epic playoff games: Reggie Miller’s eight points in 8.9 seconds, the finger roll and the Roy Hibbert block.
Knicks beat writer Fred Katz connected with Bucks beat reporter Eric Nehm, who will be filling in on Pacers coverage during this series, to discuss the upcoming matchup.
Here is their conversation:
Katz: Eric, there are various topics we could hit on to begin this series.
Are the Knicks still bruised after they just exchanged blows with the 76ers for two weeks straight? Can the Pacers slow Jalen Brunson? Can the Knicks bother Tyrese Haliburton?
How do the Knicks defend the Haliburton-Myles Turner pick-and-roll? Who does OG Anunoby guard?
This is slow versus fast, duress versus finesse, one team that wants to beat its opponent down facing another that wants to elude every tag.
What intrigues you most during this series?
Nehm: Typically, this is where I would write something nerdy about the third-quarter defensive rotations that the Pacers made against the Bucks in Game 4, but we’ll have time to get into the weeds throughout the rest of this series. For me, this all starts with Haliburton.
Haliburton did what he needed to do against the Bucks in the first round.
With the series tied 1-1 and 6.7 seconds remaining in overtime, the 24-year-old point guard hit Patrick Beverley with two crossovers, got into the lane and hit a floater, plus the foul, to give the Pacers a three-point lead with 1.6 seconds remaining.
Eventually, the Pacers won that game because of Haliburton’s heroics and with Damian Lillard missing the next two games, that clutch bucket at the end of Game 3 gave the Pacers the advantage they would need to take the whole series. Without Haliburton stepping up in that moment, the Pacers might have dropped that game and the series could have gone much differently.
Insanely cool, clutch playoff moment aside, Haliburton was not at his peak in the first round against the Bucks.
Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks cannot be described as a good defensive team. They were terrible at the point of attack all season long, but Bucks coach Doc Rivers deserves credit for putting together a defensive plan that made Haliburton uncomfortable. The hamstring injury that sidelined Haliburton during the regular season and the back spasms he’s been dealing with throughout the playoffs are currently affecting his game.
Against the Bucks, Haliburton put up 16.0 points and 9.3 assists per game, down from 20.1 points and 10.9 assists per game during the regular season. With 56 assists and 16 turnovers, his assist-to-turnover ratio was 3.5 against the Bucks as opposed to 4.7 during the regular season.
Haliburton shot 43.5 percent from the field, including just 29.6 percent from behind the 3-point line. His struggles offensively could’ve just been a function of seeing playoff defense for the first time, but if the Pacers want a chance to upset the Knicks in this series, they are going to need more from Haliburton.
Katz: It’s funny you mention Haliburton’s game winner in Game 3 because that play was a microcosm of what makes the Pacers great when they’re at their best.
No one moves in transition like this team. The Pacers manufacture transition opportunities other teams would never even consider. They run after turnovers and after grabbing…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .