The last time Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle were together in a playoff series, they were on the same side, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. It was 2021, long before Brunson became an All-Star, and he saw just 10 minutes off the bench in a Game 7 loss to the Clippers that turned out to be the end of Carlisle’s tenure in Dallas. Asked about that experience after Saturday’s practice, Brunson said there are no hard feelings and it won’t factor into his preparation for the matchup with Indiana. “In all honesty, I said this last time, you’re in the playoffs now, t ..read more

Tyrese Haliburton is familiar with the playoff history between the Pacers and Knicks and he’s looking forward to being part of it (video link from The Indianapolis Star). He’s also eager for the matchup with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, whom he said are both close friends ..read more

The Knicks and Pacers closed out their respective first-round series on Thursday, securing their spots in the Eastern Conference semifinals and lining up a playoff matchup straight out of the 1990s. As Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com details, back in the days of Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller, a New York/Indiana series was something of an annual tradition in the Eastern Conference, with the two teams meeting in six out of eight postseasons from 1993-2000. Since then, the clubs have squared off just once in the playoffs – in the 2013 Eastern Conference semifinals – but the current iterations of ..read more

The Suns, Lakers and Heat have all mortgaged significant future assets and spent a lot of money to make themselves better in the present, yet none of the three won 50 games in the regular season and they combined to win just two playoff games before being eliminated in the first round, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger details, all three teams face difficult questions entering the offseason, with Phoenix’s long-term outlook particularly problematic. Still, the best course of action for all three might be making relatively minor moves instead of going even more all-in than the ..read more

The Pacers advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years on Thursday night after dispatching the Bucks in six games. T.J. McConnell (20 points, nine assists, four steals in 23 minutes) and Obi Toppin (21 points, eight rebounds in 24 minutes) were particularly impressive off the bench. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes, the Pacers are just two years removed from a 25-57 season. And at one point, it seemed inevitable that Myles Turner would be traded. Instead, the longest-tenured member of the team renegotiated and extended his contract with the Pace ..read more

All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is set to come back just in time for Milwaukee’s must-win Game 6 in their ongoing series against the Pacers Thursday night, sources inform Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Lillard had been dealing with right Achilles tendinitis of late, which has forced him to sit out the Bucks’ last two contests, during which the club has gone 1-1. Indiana leads the series 3-2, so Milwaukee must win out to advance. All-NBA Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, will miss his sixth straight contest of the series due to a left calf strain, ac ..read more

Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley has been named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year for the 2023/24 season, the league announced today (via Twitter). The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and a role model to other players, and commitment and dedication to team,” per the NBA. The award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points ..read more

The Bucks are on the verge of elimination but it’s unlikely they’ll have their two best players available for Game 5 of their first-round series with the Pacers. The team is listing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard as doubtful to play on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm tweets. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played the entire series due to a left calf strain that he suffered late in the regular season. Damian Lillard missed the Bucks’ Game 4 loss on Sunday due to right Achilles tendinitis. Lillard averaged 32.3 points and 5.3 assists in 40.7 minutes during the first three games of the series. P ..read more

Pascal Siakam has been everything the Pacers had hoped he’d be when they traded for him at the deadline, IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak writes. In two playoff games with Indiana, Siakam is averaging 36.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while making 64.6% of his shots. He helped propel the Pacers to a Game 2 victory. “I just was taking what’s out there,” Siakam said after Game 2. “I don’t feel like I’m trying anything or forcing anything. Just playing within the flow of the offense. Just not thinking about anything and taking whatever is there.” With Milwaukee doing a solid job of defending Ty ..read more

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award for the 2023/24 season, the league’s communications department tweets. Maxey edged out Bulls guard Coby White for the award. Maxey received 51 of 99 first-place votes while recording 319 voting points. White had just 32 first-place votes, but showed up on more ballots (91) than Maxey (79) and compiled 305 points. The third finalist, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, was a distant third with six first-place votes and 92 points. Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson finished fourth and fifth, respectively ..read more