The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are duking it out in the Eastern Conference Finals to see which team will make it to the Finals. However, there are other underlying themes, including the continuation of the protagonists' rivalry that began in the 1990s and the battle to determine the best point guard in the East.
The series features All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson trying to guide their respective crews to the title round. It's safe to say that whoever comes out on top should be anointed the conference's top point guard.
Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball needs to say something about the unofficial duel because, in terms of talent and entertainment value, he arguably outscales Haliburton and Brunson. Sadly, the Hornets' lack of success in the standings and Ball's regular stint on the injury report have hurt his case.
Ball can only watch as Haliburton and Brunson fight for the crown
To be fair to the Eastern Conference Finals participants, they deserve to be esteemed as the top-two floor generals of the East.
Haliburton has actually vindicated himself after being named the most overrated player by his peers, who interestingly didn't see Ball in the same light. For the second straight year, the Pacers cornerstone has made it this far in the playoffs.
As for Brunson, he was among the key Knicks players who sustained an injury when they faced off against Indiana in the conference semifinals last year. Hali and company took advantage of New York's injury woes to come out of the series alive after seven contests. Brunson has the opportunity to avenge the loss and prove why some folks deem him the premier point guard in the East.
The current series is only one game old, but it already has the making of a classic playoff matchup. Indiana made history in the opener by becoming the first team in the playoffs to rally from a deficit of at least 14 points with under 2:50 left on the clock in regulation. The last 970 squads that fell into that deep of a hole had lost.
Haliburton, who finished the evening with 31 points and 11 assists, turned up clutch in the fourth quarter and overtime to give the Pacers the 138-135 victory. Had New York held on for the win, one of the loudest storylines of the night would have been Brunson scoring 37 in regulation and 43 overall. However, it was Indy who drew first blood.
All indications show that this round is going to be a hard-fought clash between the rivals. And Ball has to be watching and drawing motivation from it in his quest to prove that he belongs in the conversation of the best point guard in the East and that he can steer the Hornets this far in the playoffs someday.