'Bad history': Possible Knicks-Pacers ECF match-up giving some fans PTSD
'Bad history': Possible Knicks-Pacers playoffs match-up giving some fans PTSD
The New York Knicks are one win away from their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, but some Knicks fans are old enough to remember the heartache. FOX 5 NY's sports producer Lou Albanese breaks down the team's "bad history" with the Indiana Pacers and what younger fans should look out for if the Knicks advance.
NEW YORK - The New York Knicks are one win away from their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s something Knicks fans know all too well as they head into Friday's Game 6 match-up against the Boston Celtics.
Just one win will set up a match-up with the Indiana Pacers, a team the Knicks have a storied rivalry against: The two teams have met eight times in the NBA playoffs, with Indiana winning six of those match-ups.
"Young Knick fans … they'll all think, ‘Well, we beat the champs. It’s over.' That's not the case. The Pacers have been killing the Knicks. Last year they beat them. They have nothing but heartache," FOX 5 NY sports producer Lou Albanese said.
New York Knicks Patrick Ewing (33) raises his arms in victory after going into the crowd to hug his former Georgetown coach John Thompson, left, in the closing seconds of the Knicks win over the Indiana Pacers, Sunday June 5, 1994, (AP Photo/Charles
Most older Knicks fans can tell you exactly where they were during Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, when Indiana’s Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks were able to bounce back and win the series to advance to the NBA Finals, which they lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets.
Fans would have to wait another five years to return to the NBA’s Grand Stage, but that also ended in heartbreak as the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Haywood Workman #3 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a three point shot against Greg Anthony #54 of the New York Knicks during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals played May 9, 1995 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. (Photo by Nathani
Now, with another trip to the NBA Finals a distinct possibility, fans are hoping this Knicks team can erase years of shortcomings and heartbreak and win their first championship since 1973.
"The bottom line is this: If they win, and they go to the finals, that's gonna set this city on fire," Albanese said.