Let’s wind back the clock to May. Night had fallen on the nineteenth day of the month. The Apple — no, not the small one — was buzzing about the idea that its long beloved, long beleaguered NBA franchise was going to make it to the conference finals. The only thing standing in the way: a blisteringly fast group of hicks. Well, that and the limits of the human body, but I digress.

The night was sullied, nay defiled by those hicks. The Pacers beat Knicks in a rout, outscoring them 130-109.

Since then the Knicks have remade their roster. The Pacers, conversely, have remained the same.

Those changes did not benefit the Knicks in the first game of the season. In fact the team picked up (almost) exactly where it left off, losing 132-109 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

The Pacers lack of changes resulted in a win, though not a convincing one. Ironically, the player that most put his stamp on the result was one who was unavailable during the team’s magical playoff run.

Benedict Mathurin began a pivotal season (for him and the team) looking like a player who has a lot to prove. What exactly must he demonstrate? Without being too reductive, that he can contribute to winning. The good news is that he appears to be on the same page.

Tonight, the home crowd will be raucous as they root for their team to serve the Pacers an ice cold dish of revenge. But that’s exactly where the hicks have thrived in the past so I’m quite excited about the prospect of history repeating itself.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 7:30 PM ET.

TV: ESPN

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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