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Pacers Won't Die as Knicks Choke Yet Again

Tyrese Haliburton's Pacers do it again in another comeback for the ages, teaching the Knicks the kind of lesson they should have been ready for.
Henry Brown|
May 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates with teammates after tying the game in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime against the New York Knicks during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
May 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates with teammates after tying the game in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime against the New York Knicks during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks thought they did their homework on the Pacers. They maintained Indiana's frenetic pace, crashed the boards to create more possessions and their stars put their best feet forward, looking to avoid the same tragic endings that befell the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers before them.

The Knicks took a surprise double-digit lead in the fourth quarter with Jalen Brunson on the bench in foul trouble, taking a 14-point advantage into the final 2:45 mark. Every single team to take that specific lead into that little time remaining in regulation had held on to win, 994-0.

None of those teams had seen these Pacers. They whittled away at the Knicks' hard-fought lead, flipping two full quarters of control with 3-pointer after 3-pointer. Tyrese Haliburton hit another one of those clutch playoff shots he's rapidly growing associated with with this Kevin Durant-Reggie Miller hybrid for the ages, and they closed the Knicks out in overtime with stout defense to steal a 1-0 lead in another upset in Madison Square Garden.

It's a tough pill for the Knicks to have to swallow, especially after the growing sample size of teams who've similarly failed to extinguish the Pacers when they had the chance. The Bucks fumbled passes and allowed Haliburton to penetrate their once-great defense to send them packing on their own home floor, while the Cavaliers couldn't keep the star from hitting similar shots on the run.

Only momentum can fuel a 3&D wing like Aaron Nesmith from notching 20 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a three every time down the floor to slowly close the gap on the Knicks as their mistakes slowly boiled over and cost them possessions.

The Pacers maintained their classic well-rounded attack, as Andrew Nembhard returned to add to his resume as a crunch-time shot creator while Obi Toppin maintained his fearlessness as a highlight-worthy rim finisher.

Their defense, once a sore spot for the premier offense, iced the game in forcing misses out of both of New York's All-Stars in separate desperate attempts at tying the game 25+ feet from the basket. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns totaled 78 in the series opener, but their bad misses will be remembered in Indiana's newest come-from-behind theft.

Neither of these teams were expected to make it as far as the Eastern Conference Finals, with the Pacers having to shake a slow start to the regular season off to show the rest of the league how good a deep rotation of shooters, passers and fresh defensive legs can be, especially when they're led by as selfless an orchestrator as Haliburton.

He, and they, are as serious a threat to New York's championship chances as they've seen along this historic run. The Pacers now sit one game closer to advancing to the NBA Finals, having snatched home court advantage alongside the Knicks' souls.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

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