Who Are the Indiana Pacers’ 3 Biggest Rivals?

One of the biggest things that makes sports so fascinating is when a rivalry blossoms and sustains for a long period of time.

Unfortunately, with the amount of player movement in the NBA, rivalaires tend to end sooner than later, unless there is a long history of bad blood between the franchises, ala the Red Sox and the Yankees.

What also makes a rivalry come to life is when the teams meet frequently in the NBA Playoffs. Having those intense battles with players who don't particularly care for each other makes for a compelling matchup, and when you include the disdain the fans in attendance have for the opponent, it adds even more emotion to it.

With that being said, I wanted to look at which teams are the Pacers biggest rivals heading into the regular season.

1. New York Knicks

To no ones surprise, the Pacers biggest rivalry is with the New York Knicks. After meeting in the playoffs in back-to-back postseasons in 2024 and 2025, Indiana took both series after 13 total games played.

Aaron Nesmith and Haliburton led the Pacers to an improbable win in Game 1 of the 2025 East Finals, erasing a 17-point deficit to force overtime after a Haliburton stepback three over Mitchell Robinson that hit the heel of the rim and skyrocketed to the rafters before swishing through the net.

The year before that Indiana looked destined to fall down 3-0, but Andrew Nembhard hit a 31-footer to give Indiana a 3-point lead when the game was tied 106 all. And they went onto win the game 111-106 after Jalen Brunson tried to draw a foul instead of working to get a good look and airballed his shot attempt. Indiana ended up winning Game 7, setting an NBA playoff record by shooting 67.1% from the field.

But this is deeper than just the recent battles with New York. Hicks vs. Knicks was established in the 1990s as the franchises faced off in the postseason six different times from 1993-2000.

It was the theatrics that brought out the best in the rivalry. Reggie Miller handpicked filmmaker and Knicks superfan Spike Lee to target for his motivation, when dropping 25 points in the fourth quarter to give Indiana a big-time road win. He made several gestures to Lee and hit him with the famous choke sign that was later used by Haliburton in 2025.

But that wasn't the only time Miller broke Knicks fans hearts. The most memorable playoff moment in Miller's career was when he scored 8 points in 9 seconds to steal game one of the 1995 East Semifinals.

Reggie's Pacers went 3-3 in playoff series against the Knicks, and his last one against them led to the Pacers first NBA Finals appearance in 2000.

But in between the Reggie and Haliburton eras, the Pacers took on the New York Knicks in 2013, and Roy Hibbert's block on Carmelo Anthony at the rim remains one of the most memorable moments in Pacers playoff history. Indiana went onto win that series in 6 games.

In 54 total games, the Pacers hold the 30-24 advantage in playoff games, and are 5-3 in 8 playoff series.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (and Bobby Portis)

Pacers Bucks — Nov 22, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) looks to pass the ball away from Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Before the Pacers made the trade for Tyrese Haliburton, games against Giannis and the Bucks were consistently blowouts. During one of those pre-Haliburton games, the Bucks were up by so many points that in the third quarter Giannis was caught taking pictures with one of the team photographers cameras during the game on ESPN.

It was absolutely embarrassing. But then Haliburton came to town, and the NBA introduced the NBA Cup. In their first game of the regular season, the Pacers had a 122-121 lead and Giannis was ready to attack Bennedict Mathurin. As he began to make his move, Mathurin stole the ball and on the next possession drew a foul and made both free throws. The Pacers went onto win the game 126-124.

But then things really heated up during the NBA Cup. Both teams traveled to Las Vegas for a chance to advance to the championship game. Haliburton dropped 27 points, 15 assists, and 0 turnovers. He tapped on his wrist and said, "it's my time now," stealing Damian Lillard's celebration after the Pacers had the game secured.

This loss infuriated Giannis and when the Pacers visited the Bucks a week later, he dropped a career-high 64 points in what would be the Bucks only win against Indiana for the season. After the game, Giannis stormed back to the Pacers locker room demanding that they give him the game ball, even though his coaching staff already had one. He then came out onto to the floor and shoved his finger into Haliburton's chest and demanded he get the ball (he already had) back for him.

This led to a playoff series in Round 1, but Giannis was hurt and didn't play. Indiana won the series in 6 games, and Haliburton's game winner over Patrick Beverly in Game 4 essentially closed the door. In the final moments of Game 6, Beverly was sitting on the bench as the Pacers were up by double-digits. He turned to the crowd and threw a ball at a Pacers fan because he was mad his team lost. The league suspended him for this, but no team in the NBA has added him to their roster.

Looking to get revenge on the Pacers, the Bucks dominated Indiana in the 2024-25 regular season, winning the series 3-1. The lone win the Pacers had was at home with Reggie Miller on the call for TNT. Indiana ran the Jenny Boucek/Mike Weinar football play and with Prince failing to make the right defensie read, this left Haliburton wide open in the corner for 3. As he made the shot, Giannis of all people tried to block it, but ended up fouling him. The All-NBA guard made the free throw and Indiana escaped with a 115-114 victory.

At the conclusion of the season, the Pacers clinched the No. 4 seed and the Bucks got the No. 5 seed. Indiana dominated the first two games, and went to Milwaukee with a 2-0 lead. In Game 3, Gary Trent Jr. erupted for 37 points and the Pacers lost by 16 points. In Game 4, the Pacers ran away with a 129-103 victory, but this was the game in which Lillard unfortunately tore his Achilles. Indiana then finished the series off in dramatic fashion as Haliburton drove by Giannis and made the game winning layup in overtime, giving Indiana the 119-118 win.

But the drama didn't stop there. After the game, John Haliburton, Tyrese's father, ran onto the court and was waving a banner of his son with Giannis in the vicinity. Giannis took exception and confronted him and put his finger in his chest just like he did to his son after his career-high. Giannis didn't stop there either, he got into with Mathurin before exiting the court and had words with James Johnson. All Giannis wanted was for the Pacers to "win humbly", but the truth is, he just doesn't handle losing well.

Bobby Portis became one of the side stories of both playoff series. In Game 4 (2024) he was ejected for getting into an altercation with Nembhard. This led to Pacers fans chanting "Bobby Sucks" for the remainder of his time in Milwaukee.

Now with both players joining the Heat, I expect the rivalry to continue. Pacers fans already have disdain for Miami going back to the early 2010s when the Pacers ran into the Heat three times with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Pacers pushed each series to at least six games, but were never good enough to get past them.

This feels like the Pacers are destined to run into Miami and Giannis during the 2026-27 NBA Playoffs.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

Thunder Pacers — Jan 23, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard/forward Andrew Nembhard (2) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The last rivalry the Pacers currently have has to be with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After the NBA Finals ended the way it did in Game 7, it just feels like there is unfinished business for the Pacers. And maybe a little on OKC's side too.

A handful of people believe that Indiana would have taken down the Thunder had the series ended with everyone healthy, but Haliburton going out with the torn Achilles left that question unanswered.

Last season, the schedule makers had the Pacers opening their year hosting the Thunder.

The Pacers went toe-to-toe with OKC, but unfortunately fell in a tight one in double overtime. Mathurin (36 points) and Siakam (32) were leading the charge for Indiana, each scoring over 30. But Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a career-high 55 points in the 141-135 win. It was a fun battle, but the Thunder lived at the free throw line and took control of the game.

Indiana got their revenge on the road in January, however. The Pacers had a standout performance from Andrew Nembhard, scoring 27 points, dishing out 11 assists, and corralling 7 rebounds. He had a team high +16 in the game. The Pacers found success playing with a small-ball lineup, inserting Furphy at the 5, next to Siakam, Nesmith, Walker and Nembhard. These five were able to make things difficult for the Thunder and held off a late storm by SGA and company.

The Pacers return to Oklahoma City in early February this season, and that will likely be Haliburton's first time to play at the Paycom Center since tearing his Achilles.

Just like Haliburton and the Pacers season ended in dramatic fashion in Game 7 in 2025, the Thunder's 2026 season ended in a Game 7 loss to the Spurs in the West Finals. Both teams are going to be extra motivated to get back to the NBA Finals in 2027, and a rematch between the two teams would only strengthen this rivalry.

Final Thoughts

Siakam Haliburton — Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) shoots against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the second half during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Julio Cortez-Pool Photo via Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Pacers-Knicks rivalry runs the deepest of the three and doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Giannis' rivalry with the Pacers just began the last few years, but there is no love lost between Haliburton and Giannis. Now that he's with Miami, I think the rivalry still exists, it just moved cities. And for Oklahoma City, the rivalry is barely there, but it still exists with room to grow into something more.

Now, the Pacers just have to start winning basketball games again to keep adding more fuel to the fire. And by the end of this season, it will be intersting to see if any new teams or players ascend into the rivalry picture. One can only hope, because rivalries make the season more enjoyable with a little bad blood between two teams.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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