Knicks–Pacers rivalry
| First meeting | February 9, 1977 Pacers 110, Knicks 109 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | May 31, 2025 Pacers 125, Knicks 108 |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 252 |
| All-time series | 126–126 |
| Regular season series | 102–96 (NYK) |
| Postseason results | 30–24 (IND) |
| Longest win streak | NYK W10 |
| Current win streak | IND W1 |
| Postseason history | |
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The Knicks–Pacers rivalry is a basketball rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The rivalry started in 1977 and quickly became one of the most bitter in NBA history. They met in the playoffs 6 times from 1993 to 2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between Pacer Reggie Miller and prominent Knick fan Spike Lee. Miller likened it to the Hatfield–McCoy feud, and The New York Times said in 1998 that it was "as combustible as any in the league".
The rivalry gave Miller the nickname "The Knick-Killer". His clutch performances were frequently followed by jabs at Lee like the choke sign, adding fuel to the rivalry. The rivalry was briefly renewed during the 2013 NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Indiana winning in 6 games. The rivalry was then renewed once again during the 2024 NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals following the Pacers upsetting the Knicks in game 7, and again in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Fans of both teams refer to the rivalry as the "Hicks vs. Knicks", arising from the contrasting fanbases and media portrayals of the two teams, with the Pacers often being associated with a "small town" image and the Knicks representing the "big city" of New York.