Closing Time: Knicks Lament Feeble Finish in Game 1 Heartbreaker

Overtime seemed to be a Pacer pipe dream in the final stages of regulation: thanks in part to a run of 14 consecutive points, one shockingly staged with Brunson stuck on the bench with five fouls, the Knicks built a lead that reached as high as 17. The advantage was still at 14 within the final three minutes and the game's analytical momentum charts almost exclusively placed the game in the Knicks' favor.

But a furious Pacer push, headlined by six three-pointers from Aaron Nesmith, all earned over the final five minutes, spelled the Knicks' dire fate and cast an eerie silence over a previously raucous Madison Square Garden. The ultimate insult came when Pacers franchise face Tyrese Haliburton. under the impression he had sunk a game-winning three pointer as time expire, emulated Reggie Miller's famed choking gesture after hitting a jaw-dropping equalizer.

Lamenting the final stages of regulation was a recurring theme of the Knicks' postgame comments, as Indiana put up a 20-6 run over the last 2:51.

“Our intensity dropped,” Josh Hart said, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. “We started playing slower. We were playing more into their hands. We let that one slip. Now, we just have to make sure that tomorrow we go in and watch film on where we need to get better."

“There are a lot of emotional highs and lows in the playoffs,’’ Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau added, per Mark Cannizaro of the The Post. “Down the stretch we didn’t do what we needed to so. We’ve got to take this one and turn it into more determination for the next game.’’

Making the ordeal all the more excruciating was the fact that the Knicks had five extra minutes to win the game when all was said and done. They scored the first four points of the session and had a lead entering its second half but Indiana emerging with a defensive stop proved to be the difference.

Amidst an exchange of buckets, the Pacers bumped an inbounds pass off the thigh of Brunson on the immediate possession after Andrew Nembhard gave the Pacers a lead that proved permanent. Former Knicks lottery savior Obi Toppin then capped off scoring with a show stopping dunk to create the final margin before Brunson and Towns launched futile threes as the final problem, dooming the Knicks to their dire fate.

Indiana still needs three more wins to oust the Knicks but all that and more has cast an uneasy pall over the metropolitan playoff proceedings. New York, once again, finds itself trailing in a series for the first time this postseason and will have to overcome another dire streak if it's going to punch a ticket to the NBA Finals: the Knicks have not won a playoff series where Game 1 was lost since the 2000 conference semifinal round against Miami.

A dire acknowledgement, one where the Knicks fully realized that their finish can overcome this dreary finish, was yet another recurring trope of the somber aftermath.

“Give [Indiana] a lot of credit. They closed the game out like they’ve been doing all playoffs, just not really good on our part," Brunson said, per Chris Iseman of NorthJersey.com. "Tomorrow we go watch film and get together as a team, just re-evaluate and be ready for Game 2.”