Obi Toppin Threw Down A Crazy Between The Legs Dunk On The Knicks In Game 1

The Knicks and Pacers rekindled one of the great rivalries in the Eastern Conference on Monday night, as they tipped off Game 1 of their second round series in Madison Square Garden. It was the first meeting in the playoffs since 2013 and only the second in the last two decades, but the two teams share a tremendous history in the postseason from the 90s.

This year’s edition features some other fascinating storylines beyond a rivalry most of the players involved don’t really remember (but fans certainly do). You have OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, former Raptors teammates, now playing key roles for the Knicks and Pacers and spending a lot of time matched up with one another in Game 1. There’s also Obi Toppin, who was traded from New York to Indiana in the offseason for a bunch of second round picks after never quite finding his footing with the Knicks, but thriving with the high-flying Pacers.

Toppin had a nice night in Game 1, scoring 12 points and pulling down six boards in the first three quarters of action, giving the Pacers a jolt of energy at the four spot. In the late third quarter, the former Dunk Contest champ got a steal and a breakaway and decided to put a little extra something on display, going between the legs for the best dunk of the postseason thus far.

It takes some real bravery to go Eastbay Funk in a playoff game — especially on a fast break where, while no one was in front of him, the trailing defender wasn’t that far behind. Toppin executed it brilliantly and had the Pacers bench going crazy and even the Garden crowd couldn’t help but offer some “oooohs” before getting back to boos.