Indiana Pacers fans should be happy with the recognition they received from the NBA schedule makers. Next season, the Pacers will play nine nationally televised games just one season after only playing one.
Fresh off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the Pacers are looking to repeat their success from last season with another deep playoff run. And now, the whole world will get the chance to see how Tyrese Haliburton and co. can make headlines again in 2025.
However, as NBA fans know, not every nationally televised game is created equally. So of the nine the Pacers have for next season, which five are the most important and stand as must-see TV?
1. October 25: Pacers @ Knicks
In a rematch from the second round of last season's playoffs, the Pacers will face off against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. This will be New York's first game back home since the Pacers ended their season in Game 7 just a few months ago.
The biggest story of this game will be how the Pacers match up against the new-look Knicks. This summer, the Knicks added Mikal Bridges in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Additionally, they lost Isaiah Hartenstein and Alec Burks, two key role players from last year's team, in free agency.
Many predict that the Knicks will have a better finish to the season than the Pacers will. However, let's not forget what happened the last time these two teams went head-to-head. In their first nationally televised game of the season, the Pacers will have a chance to prove themselves to the world that they should not be overlooked any longer.