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- What: NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals
- Who: New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers
- When: Wednesday, May 8 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden in New York, New York
- How to Watch: ESPN and TNT
We are getting down to the wire in the NBA postseason, as only eight teams remain in the hunt to win the NBA Finals. In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets remain the favorites to move on, but in the Eastern Conference, things are a bit tighter. The most intriguing series of the semifinals has to be the one between Indiana and New York. And with another showdown coming on Wednesday, the Knicks are favored over the Pacers in Game 2 of their series. Who will come out on top?
Right now, the entire city of New York is buzzing over the Knicks. New York faced Philadelphia in the first round and that was an electric series. A lot of people thought that Joel Embiid and Co. would take care of business and move on to the next round, but the Knicks had other ideas. They were led by the unreal play of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, who helped the team close things out in Game 6. Now, they’re hoping to do more of the same against the Pacers.
| Knicks vs. Packers Game 2 |  |  |  |
| Knicks to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Pacers to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 196 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 196 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
“He has forged out a niche in the NBA and really in league history and Knick history, which is very, very unique,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Brunson. “I know Jalen well because we had him for his first couple of years when I was in Dallas. He’s a guy that has an extremely strong belief in himself. New York has turned him loose to really go and just take it to whatever extreme he can take it.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Knicks hold -110 NBA betting odds to post a Game 2 victory over Indiana. The Pacers are the underdogs, but they’re still in the hunt, per the oddsmakers, with +125 NBA playoffs betting odds. This could be a close game and Madison Square Garden is going to be rockin’ from start to finish. With all of that said, we’re going with the Knicks as our pick to post a victory.
For the fans. For the city. For the playoffs.
Lock in 🔒| #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/BmRxB6Bc70
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 20, 2024
The Knicks are expected to move on to the next round of the postseason
Looking at the series as a whole, the Knicks are expected to move on to the next round of the postseason. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as they have the home-court advantage on their side. Not only that, but we really can’t say enough good things about the play of Brunson and Hart. These two have been electric with the ball in their hands and they have fans dreaming of a title run.
Brunson is the leader for this team, as Knicks supporters believe he should be in the MVP conversation as well. Hart’s play can’t be understated either. He has stepped up as the No. 2 scoring option for New York and head coach Tom Thibodeaux has been singing his praises for quite some time. In order for the Knicks to get to the Eastern Conference Finals, they’ll need Brunson to be at his best, but Hart must step up too.
Donte DiVincenzo: "I can't stand these dudes" 😂
Josh Hart: "We love each other. We're like brothers."
Jalen Brunson: "The chemistry and communication we have in that locker room, on and off the court, it's special." pic.twitter.com/ZnBA1keZvU
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2024
“I think what anybody who coached Josh Hart and played with him would say is, you knew he would never be afraid of the moment,” former coach Stan Van Gundy said. “There are guys out there who don’t want any part of it when we get down to the biggest times and the biggest games. Josh was never going to be a guy who was afraid of that. I actually think he lived for it. Josh was always great when you played the best teams, when he got the matchup with the best players.”
Before Game 2 even gets here, people in Vegas think New York will have no issues moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals. They hold -225 NBA betting odds to do so, with a lot of folks assuming they’d then take on the Boston Celtics with a trip to the Finals on the line. There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played, but we wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if that ends up being the case later this month.
Boston still has the best NBA Finals betting odds
While everyone is ready for this next round to be exciting, keep in mind that Boston still has the best NBA Finals betting odds and that’s not expected to change anytime soon. Per the oddsmakers, the Celtics own +120 NBA Finals betting odds. Should the Celtics and Knicks meet in the next round, Boston would surely be favored.
We’ve written about how great Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been for this team and nothing has changed there – they’re downright unreal whenever they hit the hardwood. It will be interesting to see if anyone will be able to slow this team down, but for now, yes, Boston holds the No. 1 odds to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
