Sigh of relief. Exhale of joy. Probably a bit of both for theIndiana Pacers, and the percentage of relief vs. joy depends on the person. No matter how one dissects the emotion, the Pacers did what they needed to do andeliminated the New York Knickswth a125-108victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night. Indiana avoided a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden and bypassed the prospect of blowing a 3-1 series lead in advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. Indiana has never won an NBA championship. It lost to the Lakers in six games in 2000 and won three ABA titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973. It joined the NBA in 1976. The Pacers have had quality squads with Larry Brown, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Rick Carlisle and Frank Vogel coaching. But until Saturday, only Bird, with Reggie Miller starring on the court, took the Pacers to the Finals. Owner Herb Simon has been an outstanding steward. Despite no championship for the franchise, the Pacers have been a competitive mid/small-market team for decades. They have had fewer than 35 victories just four times since 1990. It's a small-market dream, in part due to the NBA's collective-bargaining agreement with players that aimed to give more teams the opportunity to compete for a title – if well managed. Indiana and Oklahoma City are exactly that. This Pacers squad earned this Finals appearance, beating Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round, No. 1 seed Cleveland and their All-Stars (albeit injured) in the second, and then dismissed New York, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. That's an impressive run for a No. 4 seed. Of course, that four seed is not representative of how the Pacers finished the season. From Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season, the Pacers were one of the best teams. They had the fourth-most victories, the No. 7 offense, the No. 9 defense and the No. 6 net rating. AsCavalierscoach Kenny Atkinson pointed out multiple times: "They press for 48 minutes and they run faster than anybody in the league. We have the data." The Pacers have the personnel – starters and reserves – to play that style. Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam are All-Stars. In Game 6, Siakam had 31 points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal, and Haliburton had 21 points, 13 assists, six rebounds and three steals – his ninth double-double in 16 playoff games. They went 10-deep against the Knicks and regularly beat them down the court for open shots. And they made 3-pointers – 17-for-33 in a close-out game while holding the Knicks to 28.1% shooting on 3s. In 2½ decades, Carlisle ‒ in his second stint with the Pacers after 13 seasons with Dallas that yielded a title in 2011 ‒ has proven himself one of the NBA's best coaches, adapting to different eras, styles and personnel. As he has gotten older and wiser, he has ceded control, allowing a star like Haliburton to run the offense without Carlisle dictating every possession. The reward for winning the East? A Finals matchup against Oklahoma City, the best team in the league. The Pacers are underdogs. But with the Knicks behind them, they're not just relieved or overjoyed to be there. Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media@JeffZillgitt This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NBA Finals: Pacers vs. Thunder is small-market dream matchup
