There were new signs mounted on the streets of New York — on 11th Street, there is now a Jalen Brunson Boulevard marker. A new sign, one block from Madison Square Garden, heralded Karl-Anthony Towns Square. And there was one for every player on the roster, celebrating the accomplishments of the Knicks as they readied to take the floor in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter-century.
While the city was celebrating, the Knicks were focused on taking down the Indiana Pacers, with dreams of an NBA championship and constant reminders of the history between the two franchises. But, for the Knicks, this isn’t about the possible future or the long history – Reggie Miller’s escapades, John Starks’ head-butt or Patrick Ewing’s finger roll.
A year ago was as far back as the Knicks were willing to go, when the Pacers ended their season in seven games and the team fell apart amid a heartbreaking series of injuries.
“I mean, it still kind of bothers me,” Brunson said. “But I feel like once you get into the season, you start thinking about the next game and everything like that. Obviously, it was a missed opportunity last year, playing them at home in Game 7, regardless of who we had out there.”
Brunson certainly knows the history — his father, current Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, played on the team when the Knicks got to the Eastern Conference Finals 25 years ago and were knocked out in six games by the Pacers. But the focus is on the job at hand, with maybe an eye on how it ended last season.
The Knicks are a different team now with Towns and Mikal Bridges added to the starting lineup. They enter the series completely healthy after being devastated by injuries last season. So, if others want to think about history, the Knicks were trying to forget it and focus on what would happen inside the Garden, not about the celebrations in the streets.
“Another year, another series,” Josh Hart said. “Y’all can write whatever y’all want, make it into a revenge thing or something like that. Half the team didn’t play last year, [Julius Randle] and Donte [DiVincenzo] are not here anymore, Isaiah [Hartenstein] is not here anymore We got KAT, Mikal – OG [Anunoby] was hurt. It’s just a totally different team, totally different situation, totally different round of the playoffs. We just gotta make sure we’re ready. That’s an extremely talented team whose offense is clicking on all cylinders right now. Nothing about revenge, it’s just about next series.”
The Pacers entered the series with just one player who wasn’t in the rotation last season (10th man Thomas Bryant) and, after a 10-15 start to the season, have been one of the best teams in the NBA. They went 40-17 to finish the regular season and wiped out Milwaukee and top-seeded Cleveland in five games each, giving them an eight-day break before Wednesday night’s series opener.
“We obviously know what happened last year,” Brunson said. “Nothing to really compare. Just kind of to learn from and how we get better from it. Yeah it’s different, but we’ve got a lot of guys here who can share experiences and figure out how can we be better.
“It’s a totally different year, totally different experience, regardless of if it’s a new team or the same team or not. You’re going through something new together, and so I don’t look at it as an advantage or disadvantage or anything like that. It’s just an opportunity for us to go out there and compete against a great team and see where we’re at.”
Indiana was trying to take the same attitude.
“This is a different time, different set of circumstances,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Things in the past are just that, in the past. The world’s moving fast at record rates. That was a meaningful series, a very difficult series. That game was special. It’s over. You’ve got to look forward to the challenges of this year, which are many. A lot of physical challenges.
“I remember the Garden, how it was rocking when I was a role player [in the late 80’s]. I’ve certainly been here a number of times as an assistant coach, a head coach, and it’s great, in the same way Gainbridge Field House is great.”
For now, the Knicks are focused on the task, same as they were in the first two rounds of the playoffs — and ignoring the street signs.
“I think that’s the challenge of the playoffs,” Tom Thibodeau said. “I think there are so many things that are going on. It’s great where the league is, and certainly our fans love it. I think, as you prepare, it’s important to stay disciplined so you don’t get distracted and focus on the task at hand, and that’s the most important thing.”
