May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) defends against a shot by New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) in the second quarter during game six of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The view from the Toppin is Oklahoma City after defeating the New York Knicks.
Indiana Pacers depth star Obi Toppin has not only outlasted the Knicks for the second consecutive season, but has once again played an active role in their removal from the NBA playoff bracket.
From a Pacers perspective, there were few sweeter headlines than Toppin's revenge over the Knicks on Saturday night, as he put up 18 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in a 125-108 victory that officially placed the Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis' favor.
"He had three blocks? Wow. Yeah, trying to get like me!" Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton joked in the aftermath in video from SNY. "We always mess with him because there's all that athleticism but [he] just doesn't use it on the defensive end sometimes. But, nah, he was big for us off the bench."
"Obviously, this series, playing against his team, there's probably a little more juice for him, considering this is where he came from. But man, he was, especially tonight, he just did all the little things that we needed him to do, made play-after play, especially down the stretch, cut-and-rolling. It's why we brought him here."
While the Knicks have no doubt made some groundbreaking, even outright brilliant, transactions in the current decade, the Toppin saga no doubt stands as a stain in the franchise archives. Even his mere entry as the eighth overall pick in 2020 has been harsher in hindsight, especially considering that the Sacramento Kings took Haliburton, the current face of the Pacer franchise, four choices later.
Toppin was traded to Indiana in the summer of 2023 for the paltry price of two second-round picks. While he failed to make any headway in the Pacers' starting five, his prowess off the bench has propelled the Pacers into their first NBA Finals in a quarter-century and he was more than happy to show off his talents in relief against his original NBA employers.
This latest series with the Knicks featured brilliant Toppin bookends that will no doubt generate nightmare fuel for future generations of Knicks fans.
Breaking loose for a showstopping de facto dagger dunk amidst Game 1's collapse was harrowing enough, but Toppin officially served as the harbinger of the Knicks' doom with 11 final period points in Game 6. The final couple came on an alley-oop from Haliburton, which gave Indiana a 19-point lead with 2:38 remaining and rendered Gainbridge Fieldhouse hysterical.
It's hardly the role -- or uniform -- that Toppin was destined to succeed in, but he's generating NBA longevity nonetheless and is now set to compete for his first championship ring.
"Obi's grown so much as a player," Pacers head coach Carlisle lauded after Game 1, per Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. "When he came to us, we talked to him about improving his defense, improving his rebounding. He's really worked at both things."