The Pacers have seized complete control against the Knicks with their win in Game 2, and NBA fans had some interesting reactions to their triumph.

Yes, the Knicks were injured. Sure, they were incredibly shorthanded. But, to Jalen Brunson, that didn’t lessen the disappointment of their Eastern Conference semifinal loss last year to the Pacers. “I mean,

Before their Game 5 loss in Boston, people around the Knicks noticed their lack of intensity. A meeting before Game 6 shifted their focus.

Obi Toppin, the former Knicks player, was traded to the Pacers in 2023 in exchange for two second-round picks. He has now returned to New York for his homecoming as the Pacers stole Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Knicks.

Player after player pointed inward at their own team rather than praising anything the Pacers did following the Knicks’ 138-135 Game 1 overtime loss to Indiana Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was a dark religious experience for Knicks fans. But it was not a deathblow.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that for the duration of the team’s playoff run, streets across Manhattan would be co-named for current players. That included a sign outside Madison Square Garden before Game 1 against the Pacers at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street.