The Pacers enter the championship series as the underdogs on the road, a place they have thrived thus far in the playoffs. They defeated the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals series, 4-1, and the No. 3 New York Knicks in the Conference finals, 4-2.

Along with former NBA champion and eventual Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam, the Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks and upset the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games each. They then traded haymakers with the New York Knicks in a heated six-game series that produced plenty of viral moments.