The Eastern Conference Finals are underway as the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are doing battle at Madison Square Garden in New York. Neither of these teams were expected to make it this far, but they are now both just four wins away from going to the NBA Finals. The first quarter of action in Game 1 did not disappoint as the Knicks led 36-34 after one frame, but New York didn't have an answer for Myles Turner.

Myles Turner had a massive first quarter for the Pacers as he was 5-5 from the floor and 1-1 from beyond the arc. He finished with 11 points and one rebound in that frame.

Turner is in his 10th season with the Pacers, and he is having another successful year. He averaged 15.6 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game during the regular season. Turner shot 48.1% from the floor, and he also had the best three-point shooting season of his career. Turner shot just under 40% from deep this season. He is a key contributor for the Pacers, and he has had some big games during the playoffs.

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The Pacers weren't expected to make a deep run in the playoffs as they had to go up against the top-seed in the Eastern Conference in the second round. Indiana took on the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, and the series was over in five games. The Pacers made relatively easy work out of their division foe. Not a lot of people in the NBA world had high expectations for them in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Pacers took the Cavs down in just five games as well.

A big reason why the Pacers have been so good in the postseason is that every game has been a total team effort. Myles Turned averaged 15 PPG during the regular season, and he has hit that 15-point mark or better in seven out 10 postseason games so far. It's looking like will be 8/11 after Game 1.

Not only have the Pacers exceeded expectations already, but they have arguably been better than any other team in the postseason. The only other team that had only lost two games coming into this round is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who took down the three-seed in the Western Conference and the seven-seed. Turner and the Pacers had to go through the five-seed and the one-seed.

Indiana is winning, and the competition hasn't been easy at all. Now, the Knicks are the last thing standing in the way of the NBA Finals. If guys like Myles Turner continue to step up with huge performances on a consistent basis, the Pacers can find themselves hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in a few weeks.