Myles Turner, Pacers upset Knicks to advance to ECF

Former Texas basketball center Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers handily defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 19 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers shot the highest field goal percentage in a single playoff game in NBA history (67.1 percent) en route to a convincing 130-109 win over the Knicks on Sunday.

Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers facing the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals

Turner helped the Pacers get over the hump with a big-time win in Game 7 at MSG to get Indy to their first Eastern Conference Finals in a decade (since 2013-14). He played a vital role in helping the Pacers win the points in the paint and the blocks battle in this game.

The Pacers edged the Knicks 52-38 in points in the paint and had nine blocks compared to just three for New York. Turner led the way for the Pacers with a game-high four blocks and over a half dozen points in the paint. It's his seventh multi-block game of the playoffs and 11th scoring at least a dozen points.

Turner played an efficient game all-around, registering 17 points, five rebounds (including two offensive boards), one assist, and just one turnover in Game 7 against the Knicks.

This is the first time that Turner has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in his nearly decade-long NBA career with the Pacers. Indy won its first playoff series in a decade, snapping a five-series losing streak, by defeating the three-seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2024 postseason.

Alongside the Pacers star duo of two-time All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, Turner has put together a tremendous postseason run thus far. He ranks third on the team in points per game (17.4), first in blocks (2.0 per game), and second in three-point field goal percentage (2.3 per game).

The Pacers face the daunting task of taking on the top team in the NBA during the regular season, the one-seed Boston Celtics in the conference finals. Game 1 between the Celtics and Pacers will be played on May 21 at the Boston Garden.

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