For the second year in a row, the Indiana Pacers will appear in the Eastern Conference Finals. After losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a four-game sweep last year, the Pacers will look to right their wrongs and make it to the NBA Finals this year for the first time since 2000. The Pacers have one obstacle in their way, and it is a well-known one in the New York Knicks.
Indiana and New York have history with one another, and this is just the latest chapter in their story. The two teams have gone head-to-head in the conference finals three times in the past, with the Knicks having won two of those series. Furthermore, the last time both teams made the NBA Finals, they defeated the other in the conference finals.
The Pacers defeated the Knicks in the playoffs last year in a thrilling seven-game battle in the second round, and they will hope for the same result this year. In the regular season, the Knicks won the season series 2-1, though they did not meet up after the All-Star break.
Here is the full 2025 Eastern Conference Finals schedule.
Pacers vs. Knicks 2025 Eastern Conference Finals schedule
Game | Date | Time | Home vs. Away | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | Wed. 5/21 | 8 PM EST | Knicks vs. Pacers | TNT/MAX |
Game 2 | Fri. 5/23 | 8 PM EST | Knicks vs. Pacers | TNT/MAX |
Game 3 | Sun. 5/25 | 8 PM EST | Pacers vs. Knicks | TNT/MAX |
Game 4 | Tues. 5/27 | 8 PM EST | Pacers vs. Knicks | TNT/MAX |
Game 5* | Thurs. 5/29 | 8 PM EST | Knicks vs. Pacers | TNT/MAX |
Game 6* | Sat. 5/31 | 8 PM EST | Pacers vs. Knicks | TNT/MAX |
Game 7* | Mon. 6/2 | 8 PM EST | Knicks vs. Pacers | TNT/MAX |
*if necessary
Since the Knicks enter the series as the No. 3 seed, they will have homecourt advantage over the No. 4 seed Pacers. Each game will be played every other day, starting on Wednesday, May 21. Additionally, every game will be played at 8 PM EST on TNT on cable and MAX on streaming.
What makes this conference finals even more interesting is that it will be the final playoff series aired on TNT as their NBA deal will expire after this season. This Pacers and Knicks matchup being TNT's final call is a bit poetic, especially considering that Reggie Miller will be on the call throughout the whole series. Miller, a Pacers legend, is well aware of the team's rivalry with the Knicks and played a big role in it in the 1990s.
Both of these teams match up with each other on paper, and given their long and short-term history, this series has the makings to be a very intense battle. The winner of the series will punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. Indiana has never won an NBA Championship, and the Knicks have not won one since 1973. However, one of these teams will have the opportunity to buck that trend this season.