East Finals

Given the longtime rivalry between the Knicks and the Pacers, not a few quarters believed the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals would be as tightly fought as their other playoff encounters.

- ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG

Considering that the series has just started, time will tell before the contention is proven right. If Thursday’s match is any indication, however, conventional wisdom looks likely to find validation.

In a postseason already replete with spectacular play, Game One of the East Finals took the proverbial cake. It certainly had all the ingredients fans invariably deemed critical to the concoction of a delectable set-to. No love lost between the protagonists, just about every possession hotly contested, physicality on overdrive, even controversial whistles. Above all else, the outcome was secured only in the very last second, and in overtime to boot.