Series preview: Knicks vs. Pacers is a 90's throwback

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers met in the playoffs six times between 1993 and 2000. Now, they're facing off again in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

New York is again the more physical, defense-oriented team, while this year's Pacers have an heir to Reggie Miller in Tyrese Haliburton, another skinny offensive genius. The more things change, the more they stay the same — and Miller's nemesis Spike Lee will still be there.

New York Knicks (2) | 50-32, 7th in offensive rating, 10th in defensive rating

The Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers in a close, highly-physical first-round series. They only outscored the Sixers by a single point in the six games, but won the series for two main reasons: Jalen Brunson, who averaged 35.5 points, and offensive rebounding, where they grabbed 36 percent more offensive boards than Philadelphia. 

Indiana Pacers (6) | 47-35, 2nd in offensive rating, 24th in defensive rating

The Pacers took down the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks, who they beat in eight of their 11 meetings this season. This one was made easier by the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo and an injury to Damian Lillard, but Indiana's balanced scoring attack lifted it to three blowouts among the four victories. Pascal Siakam was the top scorer, and Indiana got great shooting from Myles Turner and Andrew Nembhard.

Biggest matchup | Tyrese Haliburton vs. Jalen Brunson

Haliburton led the NBA with 10.9 assists per game, but his shooting slumped after he returned from a hamstring injury in January. Still, he's one of the game's best and most creative passers, to the point that Milwaukee keyed their defense around getting the ball out of his hands.

Brunson scored 40+ points in the last three games of the Philadelphia series, and in the game before, he went for 39. He may be undersized, but he's the engine of New York's offense, registering double-digit assists in three of his last four games, too.

Biggest matchup, size-wise | Myles Turner versus Isaiah Hartenstein & Mitchell Robinson

Turner likes to shoot threes, while Hartenstein and Robinson crash the boards. The Knicks duo let Joel Embiid put up 6.5 three-pointers per game, and Turner is deadlier from outside than Embiid is. Will the centers chase Turner off the line? Can Turner's scoring outweigh his opposing centers' rebounding? And can New York's two seven-footers wear out Turner, whose backups give up two-to-three inches and 25-35 pounds to their Knick counterparts?

Raptors reunion | Pascal Siakam vs. OG Anunoby

When the season began, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were partners in the Toronto Raptors front court. Now they're facing off in the second round. Siakam is the bigger offensive threat, providing a surprising amount of playmaking for a power forward. Anunoby is a classic "three-and-D" wing, who shot 38 percent from three-point range and is versatile enough that he guarded Embiid for stretches in the previous series.

These two players are probably more familiar with one another than any opponents in this series (we're not counting the Knicks' trio of Villanova teammates), and whether Anunoby can slow down Siakam will go a long way to determining if the Knicks can win the series.

Revenge angle | Obi Toppin

Toppin struggled to find playing time under Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. While Toppin claims there's no hard feelings after New York traded him to the Pacers last summer, he and his old coach reportedly had a yelling match after a playoff loss last season. For his part, Thibodeau called Toppin a "good player" and said the Knicks "loved having him."

Still, Toppin will be motivated to show his old team what it's missing, especially since his younger brother, Jacob, is on the Knicks as a two-way player.

Prediction | Knicks in six

The Pacers have much more of a chance to blow out the Knicks in one or more games this series, but the combination of their defensive toughness, their expected dominance on the glass and the presence of Brunson make us believe that the Knicks can dictate the pace and squeeze out a tough win. Of course, if Haliburton ever scores eight points in nine seconds, the Knicks are in trouble.