New York Faces Indiana in Eastern Conference Semifinal

The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. were the first 2^nd round matchup in the NBA playoffs. We have another second round matchup and it’s the first one in the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks will host the Indiana Pacers for the right to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. On the other side, the Indiana Pacers took down the Milwaukee Bucks in six games also. New York showed at times they are serious threats to come out of the Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson continues to lead this team and shows why he’s an MVP candidate. With Indiana, we have to think the injuries for Milwaukee affected their chances in the series. Giannis missed the entire series while Dame didn’t play in two games and was hobbled in the last one. Who wins and advances to the Eastern Conference Finals?

 

The Knicks have had an amazing season seeing they finished 2^nd in the East. Jalen Brunson should finish in the top 5 of the MVP voting. He has gotten help from the likes of Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and O.G. Anunoby. Throughout the series, Miles McBride hit key shots and Isaiah Hartenstein held his own while defending Embiid. All of this has been done in the absence of Julius Randle. Randle went down in late January with a separated shoulder, and he had season-ending surgery in April. Now the Knicks will face a healthy and hungry Pacers team. The Knicks fans are behind this New York team and the players are reacting to it. These two teams match up really well and this could be an interesting series. Can the Knicks and Jalen Brunson put together another great series and advance?

Indiana had the luxury of facing a depleted Bucks team in the first round. One thing this Pacers team showed in that series was that they’re a deep team. Indiana can come at you from many different directions. We all know about Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. Miles Turner is someone who can step up on both sides of the ball when needed. Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell were the stars for the Pacers in the decisive Game 6 win. Toppin and McConnell lead the team in scoring with 21 and 20 points off the bench. Aaron Nesmith is another one on the team that could take over a game for the Pacers. How will they defend Jalen Brunson in the series? Will they put Andrew Nembhard on Brunson, or will it be a collective effort? Can the Pacers upset the Knicks and head to the Eastern Conference Finals?

 

Who Wins?

This is a battle between two All-Star point guards, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Haliburton. Brunson scored a new Knicks playoff high 47 points in Game 4 in the last series. Haliburton is a double-double machine putting up 20 points and 11 assists per game. New York will have a few guys they can throw at Miles Turner throughout the series. Can Brunson continue to show he’s arguably the best player thus far in the playoffs? Will Indiana continue to get production from others than Siakam and Haliburton? If so, this series could be interesting, but would it be enough for the Pacers to advance? Will the experience of reaching the In-Season Tournament championship game come into play? Will the Knicks use their homecourt advantage and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals? I’m with the Knicks to advance to the next round. New York Win Series 4-2