NEW YORK — When the New York Knicks would make their annual playoff run, they would nearly invariably run into the Indiana Pacers.

With the clubs preparing to resume their playoff rivalry in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday, it’s easy to recall those bruising battles from the 1990s. While the matchup is traditional, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks expect a modern opponent.

Tyrese Haliburton leads the NBA’s highest-scoring offense, with Indiana putting numbers on the scoreboard that made previous Knicks-Pacers games appear to be from another sport if not a different century.

Knicks Set For Second Round Against The Pacers, An Old-School Playoff Rival Who Play A New-Age Game

“I guess whenever you have the original teams from back then, there’s always going to be some type of history,” Brunson said. “But you have two good teams that play, I don’t want to say differently, but they play their brand of basketball. So there’s going to be a battle of who will go out there, who wants it more, and who will try to get it.

Brunson led the No. 2-seeded Knicks past Philadelphia in the first round, advancing the team to the East semifinals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-2000.

He scored 40 or more points in three consecutive playoff games, becoming only the eighth player in NBA history to do it. The league’s fourth-highest scorer in the regular season leads all players in the postseason with 35.5 points per game.

Indiana’s impressive numbers come as a group. The Pacers topped the league with 123.3 points per game, the sixth highest in league history, and were also first in field goal percentage and assists. They scored 140 points eleven times, an NBA record.

The sixth-seeded Pacers have not slowed down much in the playoffs. They averaged 113 when defeating No. 3 Milwaukee and scored at least 120 in all four victories over the six-game series.

The Knicks and Pacers played three times in a row from 1993 to 1995, swapping Game 7 triumphs in the latter two. They then played again from 1998 to 2000, the last two in the Eastern Conference finals. Indiana won their most recent meeting, defeating the No. 2-seeded Knicks in the 2013 East semifinals.

Neither club scored 120 points in any of the 41 games.

“It’s just a very intense matchup,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated. “There has been a lot of stuff with Reggie Miller over the last five or six years, and I know there was another clash in 2013. We’re going to need to be very robust and very united.”

Knicks Set For Second Round Against The Pacers, An Old-School Playoff Rival Who Play A New-Age Game

This season, Indiana was 2-1 versus New York, averaging 123.3 points per game, including 140 in a Dec. 30 win when the Knicks were short-handed due to a trade. Brunson averaged 35.7 points.

The point guards were teammates for the United States at the Basketball World Cup last summer before going on to enjoy their best NBA seasons. Both were All-Stars, with Haliburton starting for the Eastern Conference in his home arena and leading the league in assists with 10.9 per game.

Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby started the season in Toronto before being moved to the Knicks in December and Indiana in January. The Knicks are 24-5 with Anunoby in the lineup, and he may be needed now to guard his old teammate, who began the playoffs with consecutive games of at least 35 points and 10 rebounds.

Brunson began his career in Dallas, playing under Carlisle, who lauded his former player’s character and said they had a terrific three years together. Brunson was asked whether he had any added motivation when an ESPN podcast mentioned his disappointment about seeing only 10 minutes of playing time in a Game 7 defeat to the Clippers in 2021.

“In all honesty, I said this last time, you’re in the playoffs now, there is no extra motivation,” Brunson said. “It is what it is, and the past is the past.” Rick welcomed me into this league, helped me become a player, and helped me improve from the beginning. So, a coach must make decisions that benefit their squad. So whatever occurred happened, and we’ll move on from there.”

Knicks Set For Second Round Against The Pacers, An Old-School Playoff Rival Who Play A New-Age Game

Obi Toppin was the Knicks’ first-round choice in 2020 and quickly became a fan favorite despite rarely seeing lengthy playing time behind All-Star Julius Randle. He scored a career playoff-high 21 points off the bench in the final victory over Milwaukee and will return to his first NBA home.

“They’re one of the most physical teams in the league,” Toppin added. “They’ve had that identity for many years and we’ve got to come in there and match that physicality and play our style of basketball, and I think we’ll be good at that.”

SOURCE – (AP)

 

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000. The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 301 took place at Rio Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC 301 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

Alexandre Pantoja: $42,000
def. Steve Erceg: $32,000

Jose Aldo: $21,000
def. Jonathan Martinez: $11,000

Anthony Smith: $21,000
def. Vitor Petrino: $4,500

Michel Pereira: $11,000
def. Ihor Potieria: $6,000

Caio Borralho: $6,000
def. Paul Craig: $16,000

Joanderson Brito: $6,000
def. Jack Shore: $6,000

Iasmin Lucindo: $4,500
def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz: $16,000

Myktybek Orolbai: $4,000
def. Elves Brener: $4,500

Drakkar Klose: $11,000
def. Joaquim Silva: $11,000

Mauricio Ruffy: $4,000
def. Jamie Mullarkey: $11,000

Dione Barbosa: $4,000
def. Ernesta Kareckaite: $4,000

Ismael Bonfim: $4,000
def. Vinc Pichel: $11,000

Alessandro Costa: $4,500
def. Kevin Borjas: $4,000

Under the UFC 301 Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later).

UFC 301 Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

• “UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg” – $280,000
• “UFC on ESPN 55: Nicolau vs. Perez” – $175,000
• “UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill” – $460,000
• “UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs. Curtis 2” – $162,500
• “UFC on ESPN 54: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot” – $173,000
• “UFC 301 on ESPN 53: Ribas vs. Namajunas” – $148,000
• “UFC Fight Night 239: Tuivasa vs. Tybura” – $189,500
• “UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2” – $359,000
• “UFC 301 Fight Night 238: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev” – $133,500
• “UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2” – $135,500
• “UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria” – $243,000
• “UFC Fight Night 236: Hermansson vs. Pyfer” – $236,500
• “UFC Fight Night 235: Dolidze vs. Imavov” – $170,500
• “UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis” – $285,500
• “UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $2,920,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,657,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Source: Yahoo News

BOSTON — Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery wanted to do something unusual with his club before a first-round Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bruins were on the verge of losing back-to-back 3-1 leads in the first round, and a sense of impending doom loomed over them.

Montgomery hoped a change of scenery would do the trick. Instead of sleeping in their beads before the winner-take-all game on Saturday night, they remained in a hotel and boarded busses to TD Garden.

Bruins Avoid Blowing Another 3-1 Series Lead In Game 7. Now They Get A Shot At Revenge Vs. Panthers

“The thinking was, we’re 2-5 at home the last two years in the playoffs, and what’s going to allow us to eliminate the noise?” Montgomery stated.

He recalled his visit to the New England Patriots’ spring minicamp last year, where he chatted with former coach Bill Belichick about the significance of minimizing distractions.

“It’s something that stayed with me. And it’s something I’ve been preaching as the playoffs approach,” he explained.

It really might have rescued Boston’s season.

The Bruins rallied from a deficit to tie the game in regulation, and David Pastrnak scored 1:54 into overtime to seal a 2-1 victory over the Maple Leafs.

Montgomery had aimed for a total team performance since taking a 3-1 lead over Toronto.

Pastrnak had a team-high four shots on goal after only two goals and two assists in the previous six games. His puck handling was critical in jumpstarting Boston’s scoring in the third period and overtime.

Bruins Avoid Blowing Another 3-1 Series Lead In Game 7. Now They Get A Shot At Revenge Vs. Panthers

“A little relief as well,” Pastrnak remarked. “Obviously, the happiness from the group and sticking together the whole series was unbelievable and we couldn’t be prouder of ourselves.”

Boston advances to the next round, with goaltender Jeremy Swayman performing at nearly his finest level of the season. Since Montgomery ceased rotating Linus Ullmark and Swayman in Game 3, Swayman has allowed up to two goals in a game.

“He was our best player in the series, and it’s not close,” Montgomery said.It helped them narrowly escape being the first NHL, NBA, or Major League Baseball team to lose a best-of-seven series after leading 3-1.

Montgomery stated that he believes the experience will benefit them in the future.

“We have become a better team due to our recent experiences. “Now they understand what it takes to persevere,” he remarked. “The first round is the wild, wild west. It typically is. This year, it appears that there are just two Game 7s. But generally, there are six.”

Bruins Avoid Blowing Another 3-1 Series Lead In Game 7. Now They Get A Shot At Revenge Vs. Panthers

Next up is another chance for revenge against a Florida Panthers squad that came from a 3-1 deficit in last year’s first round to defeat a Bruins team that set league records for victories and points during the regular season.

“That’s playoff hockey,” Montgomery explained. “Last year had no bearing on how this would play out. We knew that. It’s a storyline which is normal throughout the playoffs. That is going to happen. But at the end of the day, we did an excellent job staying present and believing in our group. And we came out on top.

SOURCE – (AP)