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The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers have a bitter history of rivalry, dating all the way back to 1977. The contention between the two teams, one of the most intense rivalries in the NBA, took off in the early ‘90s. Between 1993 and 2000, they met six times in the playoffs, intensifying the mutual animosity. Retired player Reggie Miller, known for the incredible precision of his three-point shooting, fueled the fire with an intense feud with filmmaker and lifetime Knicks fan Spike Lee, adding to the ongoing intrigue.

On April 8th, the Knicks and the Pacers will face off once more. Who will rise as champion? Take your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Join the fun! Get the NBA betting lines for this game here.

The Knicks and the Pacers: A History

The Knicks and the Pacers are like the Hatfields and McCoys of basketball. It took off in 1993 during the NBA Playoffs. The Knicks were leading the East by a landslide, with a 60-22 record. The pacers, by contrast, were only at 41-41, squeaking by with a last-minute tiebreaker. During Game 3, the trash-talking intensified between Knicks player John Starks and the Pacers’ Reggie Miller, setting the stage for years of fierce competition. That year, the Knicks took Game 4 and went on to eventually lose to the Chicago Bulls.

In ‘94, the two teams faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Miller responsible for a 93-86 victory for the Pacers. Spike Lee, seated courtside, engaged with Miller in animated debate. The next year, in 1995, “Miller the Knick-Killer” had won his team a 105-99 lead. The Pacers eventually won out at 97-95 in New York.

The battle resumed in 1998 at the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite Patrick Ewing being out of the game from a broken wrist, the Knicks still made the playoffs. However, with a 99-98 win in Game Five, the Pacers won out that year. In the Eastern Conference Finals of 1999, the Knicks won out after a long and difficult struggle, beating Indiana to become the first eighth seed to reach the NBA Finals. The next year, in 2000, the Pacers beat the Knicks to ascend to the NBA Finals for the only time in the team’s entire history.

April 8th, 2015: The Old Enemies Meet Again

On Wednesday, the Knicks and the Pacers meet again on the field of battle. The Knicks are taking on the Pacers after beating the Philadelphia 76ers at a total of 101-91. Fans of both teams are waiting with baited breath for the legendary rivals to face off on the court. Meanwhile, Indiana has already won three games against the Knicks so far this season, but the stakes are high, since the Pacers need to win all of their remaining games this year if they’re going to make it into the postseason.

The Knicks and Pacers last faced off on March 7th. The Knicks were leading by nine points in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden, but in the end, the Pacers rallied and won a 92-86 victory, with a three-pointer by George Hill breaking an 83-83 tie. It’s hard to predict who will win, but it’s looking like it will be an exciting game.