NBA Eastern Conference Finals Tips: New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers
There were 15 teams battling it out to become Eastern Conference winners at the start of the season but now there are just two left as they look to reach the promised land of the NBA Finals.
The New York Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in a best-of-seven series, with the Knicks having gone more than 50 years without a title while the Pacers have only reached the Finals once, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.
The Knicks in particular have been the target of jokes for decades, having underperformed for a long time, but now could be their time to shine.
Tip 1 – New York Knicks to win series @ 13/20
The Knicks have had the advantage over the Pacers during the regular season, finishing one place and one game ahead of Indiana.
Tom Thibodeau’s men also won the head-to-head battles with the Pacers, with New York winning two of the three meetings, including in Indianapolis in February.
The Knicks go into the Eastern Conference Finals having won 16 of their last 25 games, a run which of course involved them seeing off the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.
This is the third straight season that the Knicks have made the playoffs, but the first time they have made the Conference Finals since the 1998-99 campaign.
New York’s last NBA title came back in 1973, which was the same year Indiana won the ABA Championship, with the Pacers having never previously won the NBA title.
Tip 2 – Eastern Conference Finals MVP - Karl-Anthony Towns @ 10/1
It’s no surprise to see Jalen Brunson top the betting for Eastern Conference Finals MVP, after a stellar season to date.
The Knicks point guard, who is in his third year in New York, has been inside the top-10 points scorers in the league for most of the season.
Brunson has already been picked out by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle as the man his team needs to stop, with Carlisle saying rebounds will be crucial in the series.
If the Pacers target the former Dallas Mavericks man, the path could be cleared for someone else to step up and shine.
Towns, the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year, has already caught the eye against Indiana this season.
The seven-foot center scored 40 points in New York’s 128-115 success earlier this year and that came after he had finished with 15 rebounds in October’s win at Madison Square Garden.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation