![]() It capped one of the center's finest postseason performances of his career, as he finished with 24 points, 22 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks. Ewing scored the decisive points off a put-back dunk in Game 7 with 26.9 seconds left. However, Indiana lost the next two games and the series. After Indiana took a 3–2 series lead with the victory, the New York Daily News ran a cover story with Lee's picture and the sarcastic headline, "Thanks A Lot, Spike". Miller hit several long 3's during the quarter while engaging in an animated discussion with Spike Lee, who was seated courtside. However, in Game 5 at New York, Miller scored 39 points (25 in the fourth) in the Pacers' 93-86 victory. īoth teams won their first two home games. The Knicks beat the Nets in 4, then finally beat Chicago in 7 to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where Indiana was waiting. Despite winning the Atlantic Division, they lost the top seed in the East to Atlanta both teams finished 57–25 and split the season series 2–2, but the Hawks won the tiebreaker. Rivers was lost for the season with a knee injury in December, but New York acquired Derek Harper from Dallas to replace him. Meanwhile, the Knicks, following Jordan's first retirement, were heavily favored to win the East. They swept Orlando and upset the top-seeded Hawks in 6. They finished with a 47–35 record and the 5th seed in the East, winning their final 8 games. Brown traded Schrempf for Derrick McKey and added rookie forward Antonio Davis, veteran Byron Scott, and journeyman point guard Haywoode Workman. The Pacers got their first chance at revenge the following year in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. ![]() (The playoff format had a best-of-5 first round until 2003.) The Pacers fired Bob Hill and hired the nomadic but legendary Larry Brown. The Knicks, however, took Game 4 and advanced to defeat the Hornets before bowing out to the Bulls. Game 3 is remembered as being a precursor for the next decade, as trash-talking between Miller and Starks culminated with Starks headbutting Miller in the 3rd quarter, leading to his ejection. The Knicks won the first two games at Madison Square Garden before the Pacers won the first of two at Market Square Arena. The Pacers, with Miller, Rik Smits, Detlef Schrempf, and Dale Davis barely squeaked into the playoffs with a 41–41 record, thanks to the tiebreaker over the Magic. The Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks, Doc Rivers, and Coach of the Year Pat Riley had amassed a 60–22 record-the best in the East-and earned the top seed in the East. The two teams first met in the first round of the 1993 NBA Playoffs. The rivalry was renewed during the 2013 NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Indiana winning in 6 games.ġ993 Eastern Conference first round His clutch performances were frequently followed by jabs at Lee like the choke sign, adding fuel to the rivalry. The rivalry gave Miller the nickname "The Knick-Killer". Miller likened it to the Hatfield–McCoy feud, and The New York Times said in 1998 that it was "as combustible as any in the league". They met in the playoffs 6 times from 1993 to 2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between Pacer Reggie Miller and prominent Knick fan Spike Lee. The rivalry started in 1977 and quickly became one of the most bitter in NBA history. The Knicks–Pacers rivalry is a basketball rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Pacers won, 4–2.2000 Eastern Conference Finals: Pacers won, 4–2.1999 Eastern Conference Finals: Knicks won, 4–2.1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Pacers won, 4–1.1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Pacers won, 4–3. ![]()
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