Pacers make trip back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Remember when Reggie Miller scorched the Knicks to become the "Knick Killer"? or when Larry Johnson knocked in a four point play to propel the then 8th seeded Knicks to stun the Pacers? Well, in a rebirth of a classic rivalry from the 1990s, the third seeded Indiana Pacers came out as the better team, as they defeat the second seeded New York Knicks to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004.

Photos ©NBA

The Knicks came into the playoffs as one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. They won the Atlantic Division title for the first time since 1994 and won a playoff series for the first time since 2000 when they knocked off their Atlantic division rival Boston Celtics in six games. Led by scoring champion Carmelo Anthony and joined with this year's Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith, last year's Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler, Raymond Feltion, Iman Shumpert and Pablo Prigioni to name a few. The Knicks looked poised to take their playoff run further deep. Unfortunately, their title run ends in the second round. They were unable to beat the Pacers on the road and allowed them to take Game 1 on their home floor. It was a bitter finish to their remarkable season and a season where they rejoined the elite of the East.

As for the Pacers, after knocking out the Atlanta Hawks in Round 1, they right away stole Game 1 at MSG which is the turning point of the series as the Pacers maintained a perfect home record at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the 2013 Playoffs which stands at 6-0. Led by Most Improved Player award winner Paul George and joined by George Hill, Roy Hibbert, David West, Lance Stephenson, D.J. Augustin and Tyler Hansbrough to name a few. These Pacers have put everyone on notice as for most of the season, they were under the radar. Now they have a shot of getting back to the NBA Finals for since Reggie Miller led the Pacers to their lone trip in franchise history in 2000.

The Pacers will now face the defending NBA champions the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals setting up a rematch from last year's second round series which the Heat won in 6 games.

As for the Knicks, their impressive run to the East elite comes to a bitter end. A lot of uncertainty will now bloom in the Big Apple as their offseason begins now.

Here are the scores from all games of the series:

GAME 1 @ New York: Pacers 102-95 Knicks

Pacers leaders:

Points: West 20, George 19, Augustin 16

Rebounds: Stephenson 13, Hibbert 8, Hill 7

Assists: Hill 6, George 4, Hibbert 4

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 27, Felton 18, Smith 17

Rebounds: Anthony 11, Smith 5, Shumpert 4

Assists: Prigioni 6, Felton 3, Smith 2

GAME 2 @ New York: Pacers 79-105 Knicks

Pacers leaders:

Points: George 20, West 13, Hill 12

Rebounds: Hibbert 12, West 6, George 4, Stephenson 4

Assists: Hill 7, West 4, Stephenson 2, B. Hansbrough 2

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 32, Shumpert 15, Felton 14

Rebounds: Anthony 9, Shumpert 6, Smith 6

Assists: Prigioni 4, Kidd 4

GAME 3 @ Indiana: Knicks 71-82 Pacers

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 21, Chandler 9, Smith 9

Rebounds: Shumpert 10, Martin 7, Kidd 6

Assists: Prigioni 4, Felton 2, Shumpert 2

Pacers leaders:

Points: Hibbert 24, Hill 17, George 14

Rebounds: Hibbert 12, West 12, George 8

Assists: George 8, Stephenson 3

GAME 4 @ Indiana: Knicks 82-93 Pacers

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 24, Smith 19, Felton 14

Rebounds: Chandler 10, Anthony 9, Martin 5

Assists: Felton 6, Kidd 3, Martin 3

Pacers leaders:

Points: Hill 26, George 18, Stephenson 13

Rebounds: George 14, Hibbert 11, West 10

Assists: George 7, Hill 4, West 3

GAME 5 @ New York: Pacers 75-85 Knicks

Pacers leaders:

Points: George 23, West 17, Augustin 12

Rebounds: West 10, Stephenson 8, Hibbert 7

Assists: George 6, West 2, Stephenson 2

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 28, Smith 13, Copeland 13

Rebounds: Chandler 8, Anthony 6, Shumpert 6, Smith 6

Assists: Felton 4, Prigioni 3, Smith 2

GAME 6 @ Indiana: Knicks 99-106 Pacers

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 39, Shumpert 19, Smith 15

Rebounds: Smith 10, Anthony 7, Chandler 6

Assists: Felton 6, Prigioni 6, Smith 3

Pacers leaders:

Points: Stephenson 25, George 23, Hibbert 21

Rebounds: Hibbert 12, Stephenson 10

Assists: George 4, Hill 4, West 4

Pacers win series 4-2

K-Smoove

Knicks survive emotional Celtics rally.

In a emotional battle between two rival cities, the second seeded New York Knicks survive a comeback push by the seventh seeded Boston Celtics who came back to won two games after trailing the series 0-3. The Knicks would take the series in six games and advance to the second round for the first time since 2000.

Photos ©NBA

The Celtics managed to come back to the playoffs despite losing their superstar point guard in Rajon Rondo to a season-ending foot injury. Led by their trusted veterans in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics keep themselves above the win column despite getting hit by the injury bug all season long. They also got big contributions from Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley all season long. They were down 0-3 in the series and managed to put the Knicks on the brink of a 7th and decisive game back in New York. They trailed by 20 points in the 4th quarter and managed to bring the lead down to four. But the Knicks, made all the stops in the final three minutes of the game to seal the series. Despite bowing out in the series, the Celtics fought with a lot of heart and determination especially coming off the Boston Marathon tragedy which is well appreciated by any NBA fan.

The Knicks, led by the new scoring champion Carmelo Anthony won the Atlantic Division title for the first time since 1994. They showed their dominance in this series by going out with three straight wins on the Celtics, before the Celtics won two straight to extend the series before bowing out in Game 6. Anthony is backed up well by J.R. Smith, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Steve Novak and the rest of the Knicks roster who have been playing great basketball in the Big Apple. The Knicks now continue their run back into contending for a championship come June.

The Knicks will face the third seeded Indiana Pacers in the second round who wrapped up the sixth seeded Atlanta Hawks in similar fashion. Setting up a rebirth of a classic Eastern Conference rivalry.

As for the Celtics, question now looms on whether Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on whether they will cap off their careers in Boston together with the returning Rajon Rondo or move elsewhere to finish their illustrious Hall of Fame worthy careers.

Now here are the scores from all games of the series:

Game 1 @ New York: Celtics 78-85 Knicks

Celtics leaders:

Points: Green 26, Pierce 21, Bradley 15

Rebounds: Bass 10, Garnett 9, Green 7

Assists: Pierce 7, Bradley 4, Garnett 3

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 36, Smith 15, Felton 13

Rebounds: Martin 9, Anthony 6, Chandler 5, Smith 5, Shumpert 5, Kidd 5

Assists: Felton 6, Kidd 3, Shumpert 3

Game 2 @ New York: Celtics 71-87 Knicks

Celtics leaders:

Points: Pierce 18, Garnett 12, Green 10, Crawford 10

Rebounds: Garnett 11, Bass 10, Pierce 6

Assists: Pierce 6, Terry 3, Bradley 2

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 34, Smith 19, Felton 16

Rebounds: Martin 11, Felton 7, Kidd 6

Assists: Prigioni 5, Felton 2, Kidd 2, Martin 2

Game 3 @ Boston: Knicks 90-76 Celtics

Knicks leaders:

Points: Anthony 26, Smith 15, Felton 15

Rebounds: Chandler 8, Shumpert 8, Kidd 6

Assists: Felton 10, Kidd 6, Smith 3

Celtics leaders:

Points: Green 21, Pierce 17, Terry 14

Rebounds: Garnett 17, Green 9, Bass 7

Assists: Pierce 5, Green 4, Garnett 2, Terry 2

Game 4 @ Boston: Knicks 90-97 Celtics (OT)

Knicks leaders:
Points: Anthony 36, Felton 27, Shumpert 12

Rebounds: Shumpert 12, Chandler 11, Kidd 9

Assists: Felton 3, Anthony 2, Prigioni 2, Kidd 2

Celtics leaders:

Points: Pierce 29, Green 26, Terry 18

Rebounds: Garnett 17, Pierce 8, Green 6

Assists: Pierce 6, Garnett 6, Terry 4

Game 5 @ New York: Celtics 92-86 Knicks

Celtics leaders:

Points: Green 18, Terry 17, Bass 17, Pierce 16, Garnett 16

Rebounds: Garnett 18, Bass 5

Assists: Garnett 5, Green 4

Knicks leaders:
Points: Anthony 22, Felton 21, Smith 14

Rebounds: Chandler 11, Anthony 7, Shumpert 6, Felton 6

Assists: Felton 4, Anthony 2, Chandler 2, Smith 2

Game 6 @ Boston: Knicks 88-80 Celtics

Knicks leaders:
Points: Anthony 21, Shumpert 17, Prigioni 14

Rebounds: Chandler 12, Anthony 7, Smith 7

Assists: Felton 7, Anthony 5, Prigioni 3

Knicks win series 4-2

K-Smoove

NBA Christmas 2012: Heat defeat Thunder in Finals rematch. Clippers win 14th straight game. Lakers clicking at home. Rockets and Celtics rout opponents on the road.

On this special edition of my NBA blog, we look back at the games held on Christmas Day in the NBA. There were five games on tap for that day, teams went it in with their special  Christmas jerseys and they put on a show for fans on hand. Let's get to it.

Heat knock off Thunder in Finals rematch.

Photo ©NBA/Heat.com

187 days ago, the Miami Heat cap off their quest for a second championship as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals in front of their home crowd at the American Airlines Arena. It was also the time when LeBron James fulfilled a dream to become a NBA Champion, as well as a Finals MVP trophy to complement, at the same time proving his haters and critics wrong. On Christmas Day, these two teams meet for the first time this season, and the game proved to be a scoring parade. The Heat would prevail over the Thunder 103-97.

The Heat now lead the Eastern Conference at 19-6, while the Thudner drops to second in the West at 21-6.

James led the Heat with a near triple-double 29 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds with 2 steals on 12-20 shooting from the field. Dwayne Wade added 21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Mario Chalmers scored 20 points. Chris Bosh added 16 points and 6 rebounds. Also, Mike Miller made a career milestone by reaching the 10,000 point mark all-time in his career.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 33 points and 7 rebounds on 11-21 shooting from the field and 2-4 shooting from 3 point range. Russell Westbrook finished with a double-double 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Martin off the bench and Serge Ibaka each scored 15 points.

Clippers win 14th straight game.

Photo ©NBA/Clippers.com

7 and half hours after the Lakers played a game inside Staples Center, their co-tenants and the hottest team in the NBA came out to begin their own Christmas Day game. The Los Angeles Clippers battled the Denver Nuggets, on the line was a 13 game winning streak, things went well for the Clippers as they defeat the Nuggets 112-100 for their 14th straight victory.

The Clippers now lead the Western Conference at 22-6, while the Nuggets drop to 8th place tie with the Utah Jazz at 15-14.

Jamal Crawford off the bench led the Clippers with 22 points on 9-21 shooting from the field and 3-6 shooting from 3 point range. Matt Barnes added 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Chris Paul added 14 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Blake Griffin added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Lamar Odom grabbed 10 rebounds.

Kosta Koufos led the Nuggets with a double-double 16 points and 10 rebounds on 8-8 shooting from the field. Jordan Hamilton off the bench also scored 16 points with 4 rebounds. Ty Lawson added 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Andre Miller added 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Lakers defeat the Knicks at Staples.

Photo ©NBA/Lakers.com

The drama around Laker Nation is starting to fade as the Los Angeles Lakers have now found their groove and are now starting to make some ground in the Western Conference as they picked up their 5th straight win and go at .500 at the expense of the New York Knicks at the Staples Center 100-94.

The Lakers are now at 14-14, tied for 10th place with the Portland Trail Blazers. While the Knicks drop to second place in the Eastern Conference at 20-8.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 points and 5 rebounds on 14-24 shooting from the field. Metta World Peace off the bench added 20 points and 7 rebounds before fouling out in the 4th quarter. Steve Nash finished with a double-double 16 points and 11 assists with 6 rebounds on 7-12 shooting from the field. Dwight Howard also finished with a double-double 14 points and 12 rebounds with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Pau Gasol added 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 34 points and 7 rebounds on 13-23 shooting from the field. J.R. Smith off the bench added 25 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals on 10-23 shooting from the field. Raymond Felton added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Rockets blow out Bulls in Chicago.

Photo ©NBA/Rockets.com

The team with the fastest pace in the NBA today have picked up another win by another scoring rampage on another defensive-oriented team, the Houston Rockets led by as many as 35 points, were able to keep their composure despite a late challenge in the fourth quarter as they blew out the Chicago Bulls on their home floor at the United Center 120-97.

The Rockets are in 6th place in the Western Conference at 15-12, while the Bulls lose their lead in the Central Division to the Indiana Pacers at 15-12, in 5th place in the Eastern Conference.

Four Rockets players finished with more than 20 points with James Harden leading the way with 26 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals on 7-13 shooting from the field and 11-13 shooting from the free throw line. Chandler Parsons added 23 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals on 9-15 shooting from the field and 4-5 shooting from 3 point range. Omer Asik who made his return to Chicago finished with a double-double 20 points and 18 rebounds with 3 blocks on 9-13 shooting from the field. Jeremy Lin also finished with a double-double 20 points and 11 assists on 8-12 shooting from the field.

Nate Robinson off the bench led the Bulls with 27 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals on 9-16 shooting from the field. Marco Belinelli added 15 points and 3 assists on 5-10 shooting from the field. Luol Deng added 14 points and 5 rebounds.

Celtics take Atlantic showdown in Brooklyn.

Photo ©NBA/Celtics.com

Defense was the key to this game as the Boston Celtics with their stifling defense take the Atlantic Division showdown against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center 93-76. The Celtics forced the Nets to 20 turnovers and 40% shooting from the field.

With the win, the Celtics tie the Nets for 7th place in the Eastern Conference at 14-13.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals on 8-16 shooting from the field and 2-2 shooting from 3 point range. Rookie Jared Sullinger off the bench added 16 points and 7 rebounds on 6-7 shooting from the field. Jeff Green scored 15 points. Jason Terry added 11 points and 4 assists. Paul Pierce dished out 10 assists with 8 points while Kevin Garnett grabbed 10 rebounds with 8 points.

Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace led the Nets with 15 points each. Lopez added 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Wallace added 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Joe Johnson added 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Deron Williams added 10 points and 6 assists.

Watch out for my NBA weekly blog, the last one for 2012 coming out this Sunday.

K-Smoove