Pacers looking eerily similar to 90's Knicks, 2000's Kings

The Indiana Pacers came within a game of dethroning King James and the World Champion Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. Two years prior, the Pacers lost to the Heat in six tough, hard fought, physical games. Last year's series was also brutal, putting the stamp on the league's most bitter rivalry. Indiana's obsession with beating Miami was evident from the onset of the season. Everyone from the head coach to the team mascot proclaimed the only thing needed to beat Miami was to have home court advantage throughout this year's Eastern Conference playoffs.

Translation... Indiana was obsessed with having a better record than Miami this year. 

If the Pacers are not careful, they will turn into the New York Knicks of the early 90's....or the Sacramento Kings of the early 2000's.

Or have they already?

The New York Knicks of the early 90's were in a bitter rivalry with Michael Jordan...and his Chicago Bulls. MJ knocked off the Knicks in 2 physical playoff series on his way to his first two championships. The second title run included a game seven victory over New York. The game was in Chicago. I remember then head coach Pat Riley stating that New York would have won if that game seven was in Madison Square Garden, and vowed to ensure that was the case should the teams meet again.

Well...they did meet again the following playoffs, and as promised, the New York Knicks had home court advantage. After taking the first two at home (see John Starks infamous poster dunk), MJ and his Bulls took the next four on his way to the first of two 3-Peats.

In 1999, a young upstart Sacramento Kings squad took the Shaq-Kobe led L.A. Lakers to five first round games (the first round was only five games then). Prior to tip off, Sacramento burned a Lakers jersey at mid court at both their home games (3&4). Both were wins. A disrespected Lakers team dominated in game 5, and the rivalry was on. L.A. won the title that year. The following season, the two teams met in the semifinal round, and the Lakers swept the Kings on their way to back to back titles. Shaq threw a parting shot that year by calling them the Sacramento Queens.

But I digress.

Needless to say, an embarrassed...but highly talented Kings squad set out to earn home court advantage throughout the playoffs the following year.

Translation....Sacramento was obsessed with having a better record than L.A. Anyone see a trend here?

Well as fate would have it, the two teams met yet again the following playoffs. This time in the Western Conference Finals. And this time...Sacramento had the number one seed. After being up 3-1, the Kings lost in heartbreaking overtime fashion in game seven. And that game was in Sacramento, not L.A. Kings fans are still screaming foul for the game six officiating, and Lakers fans are still screaming 3-PEAT!!!!

What do all three of these teams have in common? They all put the rivalry above the ring. The Knicks, Kings, and now the Pacers, have put all of their resources into beating just one team, and not every team like champions should. The danger with placing your energy entirely into the emotion of the rivalry, is that you cannot sustain that level of emotion for seven games. Notice the Knicks and Kings held series leads before being eliminated. The Pacers also led the Heat before being ousted two years ago.

In a desperate attempt to jump start things, the Pacers benched all five of their starters against the lowly Bucks Wednesday night, in anticipation of knocking off the Heat on Friday night in a battle for the number one seed. Well...the rested Pacers starters were steamrolled by the World Champs.

Maybe conceding the number one seed could help reverse the curse for Indiana. Then again...after watching them play over the last month...maybe not.

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