Knicks choke away lead in final minutes as Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton stunningly steal Game 1

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18 hours ago

The Charles Smith Memorial.
Reggie Miller's eight points in 8.9 seconds.
This goes right up there at the top of the list of Knicks playoff collapses, made worse by the fact they had an extra five minutes and couldn't get it done.
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A 17-point fourth-quarter lead was wasted.
A promising start in the Eastern Conference finals became a disastrous one.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers makes a choking gesture after he hits a jump shot. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Pacers stole Game 1 from the Knicks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The back page for May 22, 2025.
The Pacers stole Game 1 by reeling off 23 points in the final 3:14 of regulation and outlasting the Knicks 138-135 in overtime in front of a stunned Garden crowd.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a game-tying basket against the New York Knicks as time expires in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Getty Images
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is mobbed by teammates as he makes a choking motion after hitting a shot against the New York Knicks at the end of regulation to tie Game 1 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. AP
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) steps on the 3-point line as he shoots a 2-point shot against the New York Knicks. AP
After rallying from 20-point deficits in the first two games of their upset of the Celtics in the previous round, the Knicks were on the wrong end of an epic collapse themselves Wednesday night.
'We gotta be ready for Game 2,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'That's all you can look at. So you take disappointment, turn that into more determination.'
Josh Hart of the New York Knicks puts up a shot in Game 1. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Knicks blew a 14-point edge with 2:39 to go, becoming the first team in the play-by-play era (since 1997) to lead a playoff game by 14 points with 2:45 left and lose.
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The record of teams in that position had been 994-0. The Knicks are also the first team to blow a nine-point lead in the final minute of a playoff game since 1998, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The first 1,414 teams had prevailed.
Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks loses the ball, turning it over to the Indiana Pacers with 0.2 second left during overtime. Jason Szenes / New York Post
'Obviously it's a tough one, we're all disappointed in it, but the series is not over after one game,' Josh Hart said.
Aaron Nesmith went wild down the stretch, hitting six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby missed killer free throws in the final 14.3 seconds, as the Knicks failed to close out the win.
It looked like the Pacers had won it at the buzzer on a Tyrese Haliburton 3-pointer that bounced off the back rim, bounced straight up above the backboard and dropped in.
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Indiana celebrated like it was a game-winner, but Haliburton's toe was on the line, rendering the shot a 2-pointer to send the game to overtime.
'You gotta be able to count on your defense,' Thibodeau said.
Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns shake hands. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Towns and Jalen Brunson missed potential game-tying 3-pointers in the final seconds of overtime, and the Knicks now trail in a postseason series for the first time this spring.
They scored the first four points of the extra session, but were outscored 13-6 the rest of the way, managing just six points over the final 3:11.
'We didn't run through that finish line,' Hart said. 'I feel like defensively we let off the gas, intensity and physically weren't there, offensively we were playing slower, a little stagnant, and it looked like we were playing not to lose.'
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton blocks New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges as Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard defends during the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Brunson had a chance to push the lead to six in overtime, but his layup was blocked by Myles Turner, leading to an Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer.
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In the final five minutes, the Knicks committed four turnovers, two by Brunson, who had seven altogether.
'Turning it over doesn't help us,' he said.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is greeted by New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns after he puts up a shot during the second quarter in Game 1 on May 21, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Brunson scored 43 points and Towns added 35 along with 12 rebounds. Mikal Bridges and Anunoby added 16 points apiece.
Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, and Nesmith tallied 22 of his 30 in the fourth quarter.
This game was lost before overtime.
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It ruined what had the makings of a feel-good victory.
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The Knicks took command — or so they thought — with a 14-0 run early in the fourth quarter that coincided with Brunson going to the bench after picking up his fifth foul. The game seemed in hand when he checked back in.
The Knicks were ahead by 13, and there was five minutes left on the clock.
It was a 14-point difference when Brunson sank a 3-pointer, leaving 2:51 to go.
Then the Pacers caught fire, and the Garden was silenced after witnessing one of the worst moments in the franchise's postseason history.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers reacts after Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks is knocked down during overtime. Jason Szenes / New York Post
'In the playoffs, when you win it's the best thing ever. When you lose, it's the worst thing ever,' Brunson said. 'So the best way to deal with all that is just stay levelheaded, make sure we have each other's backs.'