Pacers Quickly Fire First Shot

Together again, after all these months. . . .

It’s the 2000s now but the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, ancient rivals who matched each other, heartbreak for heartbreak, choke sign for choke sign in five playoff series in the 1990s, two of them Eastern Conference finals, are back at each other’s throats.

By now, they don’t even have to see each other to start foaming at the mouth. They already know they don’t like each other.

The Knicks flew home from Miami to collect clean laundry and their wits after Sunday’s Game 7 victory capped a rally from a 3-2 deficit over that hated rival, the Miami Heat, and didn’t arrive here until Monday evening.

However, before they landed, Indiana’s Reggie Miller, in what is practically a rite of spring here, opened the insult phase of the series, announcing he still hates them.

Imagine the Knicks’ surprise when they got that news.

“I just don’t like ‘em, but I respect ‘em,” Miller said Monday. “What’s wrong with that?”

Hate is a strong word, suggested a reporter.

“It is a very strong word,” agreed Miller, who knows what it means. “[Flashing a big smile] Doesn’t mean I don’t like the New York media, though. . . .

“I just think [the Knicks] always think they’re bigger and badder than everyone. They really don’t want to give no one else respect. You know they don’t give us no respect. So why should I respect or like them for not giving us respect?

“Personally, I wanted to play New York. I said it in Philly after [the Pacers had ended the second-round series in] Game 6. We want to exorcise some demons. We have beaten New York but it’s never been in a conference finals.

“Detroit had to get by Boston [before the Pistons won their titles in 1989 and 1990]. Chicago had to get by Detroit [before the Bulls won their first title in 1991].

“There’s always those teams that you have to get by to move on to the next level and New York is that team for us.”

Speaking for the rest of the Pacer players, the ones too shy to engage New York super-fan Spike Lee in theatrical taunting duels, Travis Best said the rest of his teammates don’t think the Knicks respect them, either.

Although he’s in a distinct minority, there is one man in Indiana who isn’t worried about who in New York respects him.

Said Pacer Coach Larry Bird: “It’s hard for me to really be [ticked] off at a team that I have more championship rings than they do.”

For the record, the Knicks have won two titles and Bird’s Celtics won three in his 13 seasons.

Bird’s Pacers, seeded No. 1 in the East, as they were a year ago, have been haunted for a year by last spring’s six-game loss to the underdog Knicks, who were then seeded sixth and didn’t have Patrick Ewing the last four games.

In New York, it was a modern fairy tale. In Indiana, they won’t soon forget Larry Johnson’s famous Game 3-winning four-point play, not to mention referee Jess Kersey’s controversial ruling that the three-point goal, after Johnson was fouled by Antonio Davis, counted.

Nevertheless, the Pacers then tied the series, 2-2, winning Game 4 at New York, but lost Game 5 at Indianapolis, when reserve Marcus Camby scored 21 points with 13 rebounds, and Game 6 at New York.

Camby, who had never played at that level before, and hasn’t regained it since, averaged 18.8 points against the Pacers last spring, helping finish them off with his energy and offensive rebounding. Now, Bird notes, the emergence of wide-bodied Austin Croshere gives the Pacers a reserve forward who can “put a body on Camby.”

Bird was asked about it again Monday.

“A body or a bounty?” asked Bird, breaking the room up again.

After last spring’s weak performance by the Pacers, management began the first steps toward rebuilding and breaking the veteran team up, trading the highly regarded Antonio Davis to the Toronto Raptors for the No. 5 pick in the draft, high school phenom Jonathan Bender, who played little this season.

With Miller, Jalen Rose, Mark Jackson and Rik Smits approaching free agency, nobody in Indianapolis is sure they will see this team after this spring, so whatever slights the Pacers need to avenge, they had better get to them.