NBA Playoffs: (6) Indiana Pacers @ (2) New York Knicks, Game 1

For the first time in a decade, the Pacers (47-35) find themselves competing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, having completed a 4-2 series victory over bitter division rival, Milwaukee, in the first round. Sure, Indiana absolutely took advantage of an injury-ravaged Bucks team, but let's give (HC) Rick Carlisle's troops credit for taking care of business against a wounded opponent, which isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do for a young team. This is a group that has made their bones on pushing the tempo as the highest-scoring team in the NBA; Indy led the league with 120.2 points per game at a pace of 101.7 possessions per 48 minutes (2nd Overall), along with 16.6 fastbreak points (4th Overall). This reflected in their conquest of Milwaukee, for in their 4 victories they averaged a prolific 123.0 points on 50.6% shooting with 34.0 assists in comparison to just 7.5 turnovers. (All-Star Guard) Tyrese Haliburton led the Association in assists (10.9) and serves as the maestro of this orchestra. It will be interesting to see how they manage to impose their style of play on the Knicks in this series; in their 2 wins, they erupted for 132.5 points on 61.7% shooting and 51.3% from beyond the arc, with 35.0 assists opposed to 15.5 turnovers, while owning a +6 advantage in fastbreak points. In their 105-109 defeat at Madison Square Garden, they were relegated to 45.2% shooting and 13-of-33 from three (39.4%), with just 21 assists to 13 turnovers.

Things to Know: It appears that the public has been convinced by what they have seen from the Pacers thus far, with roughly 66% of all bets placed on Indy, while a commanding 71% of all wagers have sided with them as well. Indiana is 47-39-2 ATS this season, equating to a net profit of 3.73 units. Carlisle's troops have alternated covers and non-covers over their last 12 games, while failing to cover their last 6 outings following a SU win by 10+ points. Indy is 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5 points. The Over has hit 4 times in a row when Haliburton & Co are a road underdog. Indy have won and covered three of the last 4 encounters with the Knicks. Historically, the Pacers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals on 10 previous occasions and have handled themselves with aplomb, owning an 8-2 record at this stage of the postseason. However, they haven't done so since eliminating the Wizards back in 2014. This series will mark their seventh all-time encounter with the Knicks, whom they have beaten 4 times, including twice in the Eastern Semifinals with the most recent coming back in 2013 (4-2).

Playmaker to Watch: The name to watch continues to be Haliburton, who serves as the head of this proverbial snake. The 24-year-old is the engine behind the highest-scoring offense in the NBA, which certainly didn't slow down in the Pacers' conquest of the Bucks. Indiana scored 120+ points and 30+ assists in each of their 4 wins in that series, even though Haliburton wasn't necessarily the efficient floor general that he had been throughout the campaign. He averaged 16.0 points on just 43.5% shooting and 29.6% from downtown versus Milwaukee, with reports of a lower back spasms filtering throughout that series. In 3 meetings with the Knicks this season, he put up 19.7 points on 51.2% shooting and 13.3 assists. Indiana MUST keep their foot on the gas if they are to get the better of New York, which means this kid must push the tempo every chance he gets.

Meanwhile, for the second postseason in a row, the Knicks (50-32) have advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, though they managed to do so by the slimmest of margins. In what became an utter war of attrition with the 76ers, they gutted out the 4-2 series victory despite scoring exactly ONE more point than their opponent over the course of six grueling games. With that being said, you can't help but feel like they are well in their element as (HC) Tom Thibodeau has shortened the rotation to 7 players and has them playing with their hair on fire. However, New York now finds themselves against a very different kind of opponent, whom they will be forced to impose their style of play upon in order to conquer them. Whereas the Pacers are the most prolific offensive team in the NBA due in large part to their pace (pun intended), these Knickerbockers revel in being the polar opposite; no team operated at a slower pace (95.2 possessions per 48 minutes) which is a big reason why they've been one of the elite defensive teams in the NBA, yielding the second-fewest points (108.2). The keys to their success, you ask? A whole lot of (All-Star Guard) Jalen Brunson (much more on him in a bit), and a relentless approach to the offensive glass where they led the Association at 12.7 boards per game parlaying to a percentage of 29.4%, which was a HUGE factor in their series victory over Philly. In their lone win over the Pacers during the regular season, the Knicks outrebounded them 60-44, including 24-9 on the offensive end, leading to 10 more field goal attempts and a disparity of 62-48 in paint points. In the other two meetings, they were a cumulative -1 in both rebounding categories, and -10 in paint points.

Things to Know: The public apparently feels that the Knicks are going to be a bit gassed in what should be an abrupt change of pace following their completed war with the Sixers, as roughly 34% of all bets placed have sided with Thibodeau's troops, with an even smaller share of the total money wagered (24%) favoring them. New York has been a profitable play throughout the campaign, posting a 48-39-1 record ATS, equating to a net profit of 4.64 units. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case of late, where a string of narrow affairs has seen them go 3-3 in these Playoffs. The Knickerbockers are just 1-4 ATS in both their past 5 games as a favorite and when competing at Madison Square Garden. Brunson & Co are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite versus Indiana. Already without the services of (former All-Star Forward) Julius Randle, they will now be without (Sharpshooting Forward) Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist/foot) the rest of the way. The Knicks traded for the Bosnian back in February to add shooting/spacing to the rotation. Historically, New York is making their 34th appearance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, though only their third in the last 24 years. It should be noted that 17 of those appearances came prior to the 1974-1975 season, in which the Conference Semifinals also served as the first round of the postseason. This is a franchise that is 16-17 all-time in this round of the Playoffs. The Knicks haven't beaten the Pacers in a series since the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals (4-2), losing each of their last two encounters.

Playmaker to Watch: Who else could it be other than Brunson? We would suggest that anyone who may have predicted that this guy would become this decisive for the Knicks, share whatever it is that they happen to be imbibing in. The 27-year-old was justifiably named to his first All-Star team this season, a campaign in which he posted career-highs in points (28.7), three-pointers (211), free-throws (421), and assists (6.7). However, he has been nothing short of sublime in these Playoffs, where he has led the postseason field with 35.5 points on 42.9% shooting, along with 4.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists. Brunson was nothing short of decisive in New York's conquest of Philadelphia, authoring 3 consecutive 40-point performances, even surpassing Bernard King's postseason franchise record (46). We'll see what he has in store for the Pacers, whom he produced similar figures against, averaging 35.7 points on an efficient 49.4% shooting against this season.

Our Take: Knicks 110, Pacers 102