The New York Knicks were about two stops away from securing what looked to be a dominant home victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Up 14 with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, the game was all but over for them.
Knicks suffer a major collapse in Game 1
But then, the Knicks became complacent and allowed Indiana to storm back. Aaron Nesmith drained six three-pointers in the final five minutes, en route to a 20-point fourth quarter.
Then, Tyrese Haliburton hit a miracle long two-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. New York would then go on to lose in the extra frame, leaving the Madison Square Garden crowd stunned as they experienced the second edition of the Reggie Miller “choke game.”
ESPN NBA analyst and former player Jay Williams said on Get Up that the loss is among the worst in league history, including the biggest choke in playoff history.
“So statistically, that’s the worst home loss in New York Knicks history, and it’s the biggest choke job in NBA playoff history — just based off the statistics. That is one way to look at it. New York had it. MSG had it. And then they fumbled it,” Williams said.
The Knicks must show off their resilience again
Game 1 was a loss that is typically hard to overcome. It was reminiscent of Miller’s famous eight points in nine seconds to steal Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a series that Indiana would go on to win.
However, the Knicks have shown to be a resilient group this season, and a bounce back performance in Game 2 would change a lot about how fans feel about the series going forward. Game 2 tips off at 8 P.M. EST on Friday at Madison Square Garden. New York must defend the home court and get a game back before the series shifts to Indiana.