The Knicks and Pacers aren’t drifting back into the background after the Finals. This matchup has been through too much for that.
A new leaguewide rivalry ranking placed Indiana and New York among the NBA’s best current feuds, and it’s easy to see why. The teams have stacked up enough pain and payback that even a regular-season meeting is going to carry extra weight. Indiana beat New York in Game 7 in 2024, sent the Knicks packing again in the 2025 conference finals, and then had to watch New York take the championship route in 2026.
That kind of sequence leaves a mark. The injuries, the arguments and the old Reggie Miller baggage are all folded into the rivalry now. Neither side sees the other as having earned anything the easy way, and that keeps the whole thing feeling personal.
Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton have become the current faces of it, though the feud is bigger than either guard. Brunson helped turn the Knicks into champions. Haliburton is expected back healthy, and Indiana has every reason to put New York at the top of its list when the schedule comes out.
There’s an old-school feel to the whole thing, even if the names have changed. The previous version had Patrick Ewing, Miller and Spike Lee. This one comes with fresher playoff scars, and fans on both sides remember the injuries, the celebrations, the comments and the moments they think the other team got away with.
A title doesn’t seem like it will close the book for New York. If anything, it sharpens the target.
The Knicks will open the season as champions, and that alone changes the tone of every major game. Add Indiana’s history with them, and you’ve got a matchup that the rest of the league can’t fake.
The NBA is better when games like this stay sharp. New York has the hardware.
Indiana has the unfinished business. If they meet again in the postseason, the edge will still be there.
In Other News...
Knicks May Need To Watch One Clippers Center Situation Closely
The Clippers are suddenly facing a major mess after the NBA came down hard on the franchise with a massive fine and a loss of first-round draft capital, along with suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and other executives. For teams around the league, the fallout is worth monitoring beyond the headline punishment, because situations like this can ripple into the roster and create unexpected movement later on.
For the Knicks, the part to watch is whether a veteran center in Los Angeles could eventually become available if the situation pushes the Clippers toward a buyout path. Nothing is close, and it is all still speculative, but New York has obvious reason to keep an eye on any frontcourt name that might shake loose from a troubled contender as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Brunsons Knicks Title Run Looks Even Wilder After Hidden Detail
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Brunson had surgery after the season, and with training camps getting closer, he still has not been cleared for basketball activities. Peyton Watson recently talked about how hard it is to navigate the postseason when a body is not right, even from the other side of it after a hamstring strain kept him out, which only adds another layer to what Brunson managed to do on the way to the title. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face One Roster Decision That Could Shape Their Bench
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Eubanks would give the Knicks another body in the middle and a chance to compete for the third center role, while Konchar offers the kind of defense and rebounding that can make a reserve useful even when the ball is not in his hands. The decision matters because the final roster spots often come down to fit as much as talent, and New York appears to be weighing whether it wants size, versatility or a little of both before the bench is set. [Read more 🡒]