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Where Knicks' Game 1 collapse ranks in NBA playoff history
You can't make this stuff up.
A little over 30 years after Reggie Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to silence the Madison Square Garden crowd, the Pacers pulled off another miraculous comeback to stun the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tom Thibodeau's men were up 14 with 2:39 left, and up nine within the last minute. Remarkably, teams were 994-0 and 1,414-0 in those exact two scenarios in postseason history.
Teams are now 994-1 and 1,414-1 in the play-by-play era when maintaining such an advantage in the playoffs.
That's how epic the Knicks' collapse was.
Brutal: Teams that trailed by 9+ in the final minute of the 4th quarter or OT of a playoff game were 0-1,414 since 1998 entering Wednesday.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 22, 2025
Now... they are 1-1,414.
Via @EliasSports h/t ESPN Research
Knicks led by 14 with 2:45 to play in 4th quarter and now are in OT vs Pacers. Teams leading playoff game by 14+ in final 2:45 of 4th quarter are 994-0 in play by play era (since 1997)
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 22, 2025
While the Knicks choked in the clutch, the Pacers deserve credit for their ability to score in bunches. Rick Carlisle's men reeled off 23 points in the final 3:14 of regulation and piled on another 13 points in overtime to outlast the Knicks, 138-135.
During that stretch, they scored a mind-boggling 36 points on 72.2 percent shooting, including 7-of-8 from three, to pull off the improbable win. The Knicks could muster only 19 points during that 8:14 of action and committed five turnovers, many of which were forced by Indiana's swarming defense. The Pacers attempted five more shots during that stretch due to their innate ability to generate extra possessions.
Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns had his best game of the playoffs with 35 points and 12 rebounds, but he was a non-factor in the clutch. He admitted that complacency may have contributed to his team's loss.
"There's a lot of things we did good and we put ourselves in position to win," he said. "It's about executing and being disciplined for 48 minutes... We played 46 good minutes. Those two minutes [are] where we lost the game, and that's on all of us. We all got to be better, we all got to step up the plate."
The Knicks will try to tie up the series in Friday's vital Game 2.
"Like you said, we played 46 good minutes. Those two minutes is where we lost the game, and that's on all of us. We've all got to be better. We've all got to step up to the plate."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 22, 2025
- Karl-Anthony Towns pic.twitter.com/MGraEvOzyn
More must-reads:
- Watch: Tyrese Haliburton does Reggie Miller choke sign after epic shot in Game 1 win
- Watch: Tyrese Haliburton's clutch shot leads Pacers to Game 1 win over Knicks
- The 'NBA assists-per-game leaders by season' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
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