The Indiana Pacers, even after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season, entered the NBA playoffs expected to be more "pretenders" than "contenders." Instead, they cruised past the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers before beating the New York Knicks in six games.
On Saturday night, the Pacers beat the Knicks 125-108 to make their first Finals appearance since 2000, and cemented themselves as the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers enjoyed 31 points from Pascal Siakam, and Tyrese Haliburton offered 13 assists and 21 points. Andrew Nembhard played elite defense, racking up six steals.
Seven Pacers offered double-digit points, although the real story was how Indiana was able to slow down the Knicks' best players.
Jalen Brunson averaged 29.9 points in the postseason, although in a defining Game 6, he was held to only 19 points. Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks' second-best player and an All-NBA center, managed to grab 14 rebounds but only scored 22 points.
In the fourth quarter, Jarace Walker suffered a gnarly-looking ankle injury and did not return. While teammate Aaron Nesmith overcame a sprain earlier in this series, just by looking at Walker's injury, it is likely more serious.
Nesmith would also get hurt down the stretch, taking the full weight of Towns (248 lbs) as the pair fell, and Nesmith also exited the game, although he seemed only banged up.
The Pacers will meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals on June 5. The Thunder were the best team in the NBA all season and lost only a single game against Eastern Conference teams this season.
The Thunder will be very heavy favorites, although the Pacers are no strangers to being counted out. Both teams have never won the Finals, and the Thunder haven't been this deep in the playoffs since they met LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2012.
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