The 2025 playoffs have been filled with twists and turns so far, especially in the Eastern Conference. Top seeds such as the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of elimination, while the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers have appeared to be on the collision course in the Conference Finals.
Despite a 50-win season, there were a lot of doubts surrounding the Knicks, considering their record against the top three teams in the league (Cavs, OKC, and Boston), which was 0-10 during the regular season. Coach Tom Thibodeau and crew ranked 26th when defending the 3-point line and 24th in rebounds. The lack of bench depth was another concern.
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After a rollercoaster first round against the Pistons, many felt the Knicks were staring at a second-round exit. Facing the defending champions, the Orange and Blue team has surprised most of us, defeating the Celtics at their home twice and taking a 3-1 lead.
Recently, appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, former Knicks guard Greg Anthony was seen addressing New York’s recent turnaround and chances of meeting Indiana in the ECF.
“As you get later in the playoffs, your best player’s ability to play against great team, great defense becomes more relevant……You want a guy, we saw last night with Brunson. You need a guy that can score against great defense when you play a seven-game series. You can’t trick anybody; you’re not bringing in new concepts you’re not going to recreate how you play,” said Anthony before continuing:
“We know what you do, you know what we do, and as you get later in the series, you got to have guys that can go beat their man, they can win matchups, and compromise your defense and Jalen Brunson has consistently in the postseason shown you he can do that and they built that team to play the Celtics. They’ve got great positional size on the wings. Those guys are great two-way players with Anunoby and Bridges,” explained Greg, who’s been serving as an analyst on NBA TV and TNT after retiring in 2002.
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Giving his former team the edge, the 1990 NCAA champion added, “While they don’t have the depth. It hasn’t been an issue for them as of yet, and so if those two teams (Knicks and Pacers) end up meeting right now….I would give the slight edge to the Knicks.”
That said, Greg admitted that the Pacers had been the most underrated team during the postseason and that Rick Carlisle’s brilliance needed to be acknowledged.
Indiana’s elite defense
The Pacers have certainly turned things around since the 2025 All-Star break, going 20-9 and finishing as the fourth seed in the East in what was also the franchise’s first 50-win season in over a decade. Since February, Tyrese Haliburton averaged 20.6 points, 11.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals on 53.3/43.9/86.4 shooting splits.
Playing the perfect supporting cast around Hali were the bigs like Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Displaying their efforts on both ends after the All-Star break, the Pacers showed improvement on defense, ranking No. 5 when defending at the 3-point line and leading the league in blocks, averaging 6.1 per game. Carrying the momentum forward in the playoffs as well, Gregg gave his flowers to the Pacers defense.
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“I love Indiana’s team. I think they’re really hard to defend because what they do is the hardest thing to do. They play fast. They put a lot of pressure on you, and they’re a much-improved defensive team. They were a top-four team in the league,” said the 57-year-old, who played 11 seasons in the NBA.
Surpassing expectations
Both the Knicks and the Pacers have been the surprise packages of the playoffs so far. Close to eliminating top-seeded teams in the Celtics and Cavaliers, respectively, one can look forward to a potential edge-of-your-seat thriller between New York and Indiana.
The two teams make for some interesting matchups, particularly between Brunson and Haliburton, in what will ultimately be a test of nerves and who makes more errors. The experience of coaching savants like Thibodeau and Carlisle will also play a crucial role.