Finally back in Eastern Conference finals, Knicks face Pacers team that eliminated them last year

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks nearly ended their lengthy Eastern Conference finals drought last year, only to lose on their home floor to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the second round.

With two new starters and much better health, the Knicks finally made it this season for the first time in 25 years.

The opponent will be those same Pacers, who return to Madison Square Garden for a series that begins Wednesday night.

“More to go,” Knicks guard Mikal Bridges said. “We’re not done.”

Since their last trip to the conference finals in 2000 — another loss to the Pacers — the Knicks had reached the second round only one time until doing it each of the last two years following the arrival of Jalen Brunson.

So finally getting over that hump with their 119-81 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 on Friday was a significant step, just not one the Knicks cared to celebrate.

“The goal is always to win a championship and so we’ve got eight wins. You need 16, right? And each one gets harder and harder, so you've got to keep fighting,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

The Knicks had a 2-0 lead in the series against the Pacers last year before they were decimated with injuries, and Indiana ran them off the floor in Game 7.

New York then traded for Bridges shortly after the season and made a blockbuster move to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota just before the start of this one. It didn't appear those were going to be the final moves that built a championship team, as the Knicks finished 51-31, well behind Cleveland and Boston, and went a combined 0-8 against those teams.

But they won’t have to worry about the Cavaliers, who lost in five games to the Pacers, and completely turned things around against the Celtics. New York overcame 20-point deficits in the second halves of both games in Boston to open the series.

The resolve the Knicks showed in those comebacks wasn't there during the regular-season matchups against the Celtics, when the first three were blowouts. But maybe the Knicks have found it just in time.

“When you’re in these situations, especially in the playoffs, we talk about that New York grit, that unrelentless belief that we will never lose,” Towns said. “And I think that this series, when you want to go deeper into the playoffs, you have to have that and we showed it this series and I think that was really special for us.”

The Knicks were decided underdogs going into the series after the ease with which the Celtics handled them in the regular season. Boston obviously wasn't quite the same team after Jayson Tatum's ruptured Achilles tendon late in Game 4, but the Celtics were still the defending champions and felt they had enough to win even without their leading scorer.

Instead, the Knicks were so dominant in Game 6 that Brunson was asked afterward if their victory in the series felt like an upset.

“Regardless of what anyone thinks, upset or not, we’re just happy to come out of this series with a win and moving on we’ve got to prepare for another team,” he said.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Boston Celtics' Payton Pritchard, right, defends New York Knicks' Mikal Bridges during the second half of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' OG Anunoby (8) celebrates after making a three-point shot during the second half of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Boston Celtics Friday, May 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Josh Hart (3) gestures after Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7) fouls out during the second half of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates during the second half of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Boston Celtics Friday, May 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Don Mattingly won his first game as Philadelphia's interim manager, as Jesús Luzardo threw seven innings to lead the last-place Phillies past the San Francisco Giants 7-0 on Tuesday night.

Mattingly won hours after he was promoted from bench coach to replace the fired Rob Thomson after the NL East champion Phillies lost 11 of 12 games and began the day tied for the worst record in the majors.

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, flirted with the idea of replacing Thomson with former Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Cora was fired by Boston over the weekend but won a World Series with the team in 2018 when Dombrowski ran the front office.

Cora declined, citing family reasons. Dombrowski promoted Mattingly, the former New York Yankees great, who had two previous managerial stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins.

Mattingly — who officially works for his son, general manager Preston Mattingly — said ahead of the game he believed the Phillies had the talent needed to play to their potential and turn the season around.

For a night, at least, he was right.

Thomson, who led the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances, said before the game he was to be going to spend his unexpected free night watching the Phillies.

What he saw was more of what the Phillies expected out of Luzardo (2-3) this season.

He allowed two hits, struck out eight and walked none, just two starts after the lefty allowed nine runs and 12 hits against the Cubs. It was the third time in his first four starts Luzardo allowed five-plus earned runs.

Brandon Marsh hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth off Giants starter Tyler Mahle (1-4) and the Phillies tacked on four more runs in the sixth. Bryce Harper — who called Thomson perhaps the best manager he ever played for — hit an RBI double and Adolis Garcia ripped a two-RBI double to right-center in the inning.

Trea Turner had four hits.

Mahle gave up five runs in five innings.

The Giants send RHP Logan Webb (2-3, 4.86 ERA) to the mound against Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (2-2, 2.94 ERA).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Philadelphia Phillies' Brandon Marsh, right, follows through after hitting an RBI-sacrifice fly against San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Phillies' Adolis García reacts after hitting a two-run double against San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

San Francisco Giants' Matt Gage pitches during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm hits a run-scoring double against San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Gage during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

FILE - Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly (8) watches from the dugout steps during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, April 5, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)