There are endless reasons fans become enamored of sports, but a classic rivalry is among the biggest. The NBA has several excellent historical rivalries, with animosity between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers among the best in all of sports. Elsewhere, the New York Knicks have quietly developed an intense feud with the Indiana Pacers, spurred by a variety of postseason meetings throughout the 1990s. These teams faced off five times in the ’90s, culminating in a sixth playoff meeting in 2000.

The Beginning

The 1992-93 campaign saw these two classic franchises kick off their nearly decade-long rivalry in a noncompetitive fashion. The Pacers had barely squeaked their way into the playoffs with a 41-41 record, making them an easy mark for the 60-22 Knicks, led by legendary center Patrick Ewing and guard John Starks. New York made short work of the overmatched Pacers, winning the series 3-1 despite 33 points from Indiana guard Reggie Miller in Game 4.

Ramping Things Up

The next year, the Pacers and Knicks met on slightly more even ground in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana had gone 47-35 in the regular season, entering the playoffs as the fifth seed. The Knicks, now playing with a powerhouse trio of Ewing, Starks, and forward Charles Oakley, were the second seed and widely believed to be the Eastern Conference’s favorite to appear in the Finals. 

After two straight double-digit New York wins, it began to look like the Knicks would coast to another series victory against Indiana. However, the Pacers and Miller showed some backbone upon returning to their home court, blowing out the Knicks 88-68 in Game 3 to restore some much-needed confidence. They built on that confidence thanks to 31 points from Miller in Game 4, eking out an 83-77 win to even up the series.

Madison Square Garden had provided a haven for New York up until Game 5. The Pacers once again leaned on Miller to shoot their way to a win, with 39 points from the legendary guard guiding Indiana to the brink of the NBA Finals. However, the Pacers seemed incapable of winning without a monstrous game from their star, as shown by their Game 6 home defeat, in which Miller scored only 27 points. 

It all came down to Game 7 in Madison Square Garden. The Pacers held a slim four-point lead heading into the half and maintained it, entering the fourth quarter up 71-67. A furious fourth quarter from New York saw the Knicks mount a comeback in front of their home fans, outlasting Indiana to a final score of 94-90. Ewing led the charge with an absolutely absurd stat line of 24 points, 22 rebounds, and five blocks. What began as a forgettable first-round matchup in 1993 had blossomed into a true rivalry.

Continued Hostilities

Somehow, fate aligned to pit these teams against one another for the third time in three years in the playoffs, this time in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 1995. After stealing Game 1 on the road, the Pacers built a 3-1 lead, but the Knicks avoided elimination with a one-point victory in Game 5, which they quickly followed with a 10-point win in Game 6. In the second Game 7 in Madison Square Garden in as many years, the Pacers managed to survive, intensifying the rivalry with a 97-95 win to send them to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

After a couple of years off, the Pacers finally got to host the Knicks in the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals. It had been five years since a playoff series between these two ranged into noncompetitive territory. Still, Indiana brought it right back by executing a gentleman’s sweep, only losing one game on the road en route to a 4-1 series victory.

Another High-Stakes Duel

Five years had passed since New York secured a win over Indiana to reach the Finals, and it got another opportunity to do just that in 1999. This time, the Pacers, still led by Miller, had home-court advantage but failed to capitalize on it, falling 93-90 in Game 1. Indiana answered by winning Game 2, a game punctuated by an Achilles injury suffered by Ewing that would see him miss the rest of the postseason.

9 Jun 1999: Marcus Camby #23 of the New York Knicks puts up a shot against Dale Davis #32 of the Indiana Pacers during Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Matthew Stockman/ALLSPORT)Matthew Stockman/ALLSPORT

9 Jun 1999: Marcus Camby #23 of the New York Knicks puts up a shot against Dale Davis #32 of the Indiana Pacers during Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Matthew Stockman/ALLSPORT)

Despite the huge emotional and practical blow of the loss of Ewing, New York showed incredible resiliency, surviving a nail-biter in Game 3 to claim a 2-1 series lead. After the Pacers stole Game 4 on the road, the Knicks finally put their foot down, rattling off back-to-back wins to send themselves to the Finals for what is, somehow, their most recent appearance on the biggest stage in basketball. 

A Fitting End

Somehow, 1999’s conference finals did not spell the end for the nearly decade-long rivalry between these teams. The next year’s Eastern Conference Finals featured a rematch, but the Pacers were clearly the better team, starting the series 2-0 and eventually winning in six games. 

Shockingly, none of the Eastern Conference Finals matchups led to a championship for either team, as their Western Conference counterparts prevailed each time. Because of that, the rivalry between these teams remains more prominently in fans’ memories than the title runs that came from it, creating one of, if not the best, 10-year rivalries in NBA history.