Knicks vs Pacers Timeline: Rivalry History & Results

Madison Square Garden in the 1990s meant one thing when the Pacers rolled into town — Reggie Miller versus Spike Lee courtside, a rivalry so heated it still reverberates in 2025. When these two franchises met again in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the intensity picked up right where it left off, complete with off-court tension and a Game 1 finish that took 49 minutes of real time to play out. Here’s everything you need to know about the Knicks-Pacers timeline, from the first playoff collision in 1993 through their most recent showdown.

All-time regular season games: 202 · Knicks all-time wins vs Pacers: 105 · Pacers all-time wins vs Knicks: 97 · Playoff meetings: 6 (1993–2000) · Pacers’ latest loss: Thunder 103–91 (Jun 22, 2025)

Who’s favored to win Pacers vs. Knicks?

Betting markets ahead of the 2025 ECF showed the series as a near-even matchup, with both franchises having split regular-season meetings and the Pacers holding the recent playoff edge. The Knicks finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 51-28 record as the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Pacers entered as the 4th seed — the fourth 4th seed to reach the Finals since the 1984 format.

Forward-looking odds for subsequent meetings will depend heavily on Jalen Brunson’s health and whether Tyrese Haliburton can maintain his playoff production. Pascal Siakam’s ECF MVP performance answered much of the skepticism about whether the Pacers’ regular-season success would translate when it mattered most.

Current odds and predictions

The betting consensus heading into the 2025 ECF reflected the parity between these teams. The Knicks’ home-court advantage (Games 1, 2, and 5 were at Madison Square Garden) offset what the Pacers had built through the first two rounds. Pacers series average during the ECF was 116.8 points per game on 49.1% shooting and 39.0% from three-point range.

Recent form analysis

Both teams entered the ECF having survived grueling semifinal series. The Knicks won their Game 5 against the Pacers 111–94, leading wire-to-wire after taking the lead just 18 seconds into the game — a statement performance that momentarily shifted the momentum. The Pacers responded with a 125–108 Game 6 clincher that left no doubt.

Who won Game 7 Pacers?

The Pacers were not involved in a Game 7 during the 2025 playoffs — their series against the Knicks ended in six games with a 125–108 Pacers victory on May 31, 2025. However, the Pacers did play a Game 7 later that month in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On June 22, 2025, the Pacers lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Thunder 103–91 at home. Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton exited the game with a right leg injury, an ominous moment that cast a shadow over the franchise’s second Finals appearance in 25 years.

Game 7 final score

Thunder 103, Pacers 91 — the Thunder dominated the second half to pull away from a Pacers team that had nothing left after a grueling six-game Eastern Conference Finals against New York. The final margin of 12 points flattered the Pacers, who led by single digits only twice in the second half.

Haliburton injury details

Tyrese Haliburton’s right leg injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals required further medical evaluation. The Pacers’ star had carried the team through the Eastern Conference Finals with a signature triple-double in Game 4 (32 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists), becoming only the third player in NBA playoff history to post that stat line, joining Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokic. His availability — or lack thereof — will be a critical storyline heading into the 2025-26 season.

Have the Knicks ever beaten the Pacers?

The Knicks have beaten the Pacers — plenty of times, actually. New York holds a 105–97 edge in the all-time regular season series across 202 games, a margin that speaks to how evenly matched these franchises have been since the rivalry took shape in the late 1970s.

In the playoffs, the ledger tilts the other way. The Pacers have won 30 of 54 postseason games against the Knicks, including series-clinching victories in 1993, 1995, 1998, and 2000. The Knicks’ playoff wins against Indiana came in 1994, 1999, and 2024’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.

All-time head-to-head

Looking at the full picture, the Knicks’ regular-season advantage of 105 wins to 97 is real but narrow. Over the last three seasons (including a partial 2025-26 sample), the teams have met 23 times with the Pacers holding a 12–11 edge — a trend that suggests the historical balance is shifting slightly in Indiana’s direction.

Playoff history

The playoff history between these teams runs deep. They met in the postseason six times between 1993 and 2000, with three consecutive series from 1993 to 1995 alone. The 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals produced one of the most iconic moments in NBA playoff history: Reggie Miller scoring 8 points in 9 seconds in Game 1, silencing the Garden crowd and sparking a feud with filmmaker Spike Lee that became the rivalry’s defining off-court subplot.

Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals remains one of the most famous playoff sequences in NBA history.

Knicks vs Pacers Playoffs 2025

The 2025 Eastern Conference Finals marked the ninth playoff meeting between these franchises and the second consecutive year they faced off in the postseason — a playoff rematch at the Conference Finals level that hadn’t happened since 2000, when the Pacers beat the Knicks en route to the NBA Finals.

The Pacers won the series 4–2, but every game was a fight. Here’s how each contest played out:

• Game 1 (May 21, 2025): Pacers 138, Knicks 135 (OT) — The Pacers completed a 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter, with Aaron Nesmith making 6 three-pointers in the final period — the first time a player ever shot that many threes in Q4 of an NBA playoff game. The quarter itself took 49 minutes of real time due to replay reviews.
• Game 2 (May 23, 2025): Pacers 114, Knicks 109 — Indiana grabbed a 2–0 lead heading to New York.
• Game 3 (May 25, 2025): Knicks 106, Pacers 100 — Played on Indy 500 day, the Knicks erased a 16-point deficit. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
• Game 4 (May 27, 2025): Pacers 130, Knicks 121 — Tyrese Haliburton posted a 32-15-12 triple-double, joining Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokic as the only players to achieve that in a playoff game.
• Game 5 (May 29, 2025): Knicks 111, Pacers 94 — New York led for the entire game after taking the lead just 18 seconds in. Jalen Brunson scored 32 points.
• Game 6 (May 31, 2025): Pacers 125, Knicks 108 — The Pacers closed out the series to advance to their second NBA Finals in franchise history.

The Knicks-Pacers rivalry gave the NBA something rare in the 1990s: a genuine urban versus suburban, coasts-versus-heartland cultural clash played out on a basketball court.

Game 1 results

Game 1 of the 2025 ECF delivered one of the most memorable finishes in recent playoff history. The Pacers trailed by 14 points late in the fourth quarter before mounting a furious comeback. From 2:51 remaining, Indiana outscored New York 20–6 to force overtime, where the Pacers ultimately prevailed 138–135. The chaotic final minutes included a near-court-storming celebration by Pacers players that was negated by replay review showing Haliburton’s foot was on the three-point line.

Game 2 results

Game 2 on May 23 gave the Pacers a 2–0 series lead with a 114–109 victory. The Knicks kept it close but couldn’t find the late-game execution needed to steal a game on the road. StatMuse records confirm both the score and the date.

Game 4 results

Game 4 on May 27 was the Tyrese Haliburton show. His 32-15-12 triple-double in a 130–121 Pacers win gave Indiana a 3–1 series lead and effectively put the Knicks on the brink of elimination. The performance placed Haliburton in rarefied playoff company.

Knicks vs Pacers 1999

The 1999 playoff meeting between the Knicks and Pacers carries special weight in the rivalry’s history. That year, the Knicks pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NBA playoff history by reaching the Finals as an 8th seed, and their path included eliminating the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks beat the Pacers in seven games that year, advancing to face the San Antonio Spurs in the championship series — a run that remains one of the most improbable in league history.

Key moments in 1999 series

The 1999 series was a defensive grind, reflective of the era’s slower pace. The Knicks won a tight Game 7 to advance, with their run to the Finals capturing New York’s imagination in a way the current Knicks faithful hope to replicate. The win over the Pacers felt like vindication for a Knicks fan base that had watched Reggie Miller’s heroics frustrate them in previous years.

Reggie Miller vs Spike Lee

While the 1999 series itself belonged to the Knicks, the Reggie Miller-Spike Lee feud predates it and intensified through every subsequent meeting. Miller’s on-court excellence against the Knicks, combined with his public feuds with the Hollywood filmmaker who frequently attended games courtside, gave the rivalry a celebrity dimension no other NBA matchup could match at the time.

Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals remains one of the most famous playoff sequences in NBA history.

The pattern established in the 1990s — Pacers winning playoff series, Knicks capturing the regular season — held through the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, suggesting the rivalry’s fundamental dynamic has remained consistent across three decades.

The rivalry intensified during the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals, detailed in the Pacers vs Knicks playoff timeline, where Indiana clinched a seven-game upset at Madison Square Garden.

Frequently asked questions