The Charles Smith Memorial. Reggie Miller’s eight factors in eight seconds.
This goes proper up there among the many biggest Knicks playoff collapses of all time, made worse that they’d an additional 5 minutes and couldn’t get it finished.
A 17-point fourth-quarter lead was wasted. A promising begin within the Japanese Convention finals grew to become disastrous.
The Pacers stole Sport 1 by reeling off 23 factors within the ultimate 3:14 of regulation and outlasting the Knicks 138-135 in extra time in entrance of a shocked Backyard crowd.
Karl-Anthony Cities and Jalen Brunson missed potential game-tying 3-pointers within the ultimate seconds and the Knicks now path in a postseason sequence for the primary time this spring.
They scored the primary 4 factors of the additional session, however have been outscored 13-6 the remainder of the best way.
All of it started to go unsuitable when Brunson was blocked in transition, resulting in an Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer that sliced the Knicks result in one.
Brunson had 43 factors in defeat and Cities added 35.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 for the Pacers. Sport 2 is Friday night time again on the Backyard.
The Knicks blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, and a 14-point edge with 2:51 to go. Aaron Nesmith went wild, hitting 5 3-pointers.
Cities and OG Anunoby missed killer free throws within the ultimate 14.3 seconds.
It seemed just like the Pacers had received it, when Haliburton hit a 3-pointer that bounced off the again rim and dropped in.
Indiana celebrated prefer it was a game-winner, however Haliburton’s toe was on the road for a 2-pointer, sending the sport to extra time.
The opening minutes felt much like the Celtics sequence, when the Knicks have been nearly at all times taking part in from behind.
The Pacers scored on their first eight offensive possessions, made their first 9 photographs and led by as many as seven within the early going.
However whereas the Knicks weren’t getting stops within the opening quarter, neither have been the Pacers. Mikal Bridges began quick, scoring eight factors within the interval, and the Knicks outscored Indiana 14-5 over the ultimate 2:34 of the stanza.
It was a seven-point lead for the Knicks on the break, regardless of permitting the Pacers to shoot 51.1 p.c from the sector. It was one of many higher offensive halves of the playoffs, one during which Tom Thibodeau’s workforce stacked up 15 assists, shot 8-of-19 from 3-point vary and had three gamers — Cities, Brunson and Bridges — mix for 45 factors on 17-of-30 capturing.
They have been plus-four on the glass and plus-12 in factors within the paint, whereas limiting the Pacers’ stout transition video games.
The most important shock got here in how the 2 benches carried out. It was imagined to be a significant Indiana benefit. That wasn’t the case within the first 24 minutes, Knicks reserves accounting for 13 factors, solely three fewer than the Pacers second unit.
Cam Payne hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-1 run — his first two 3s for the reason that first recreation of the postseason — and Mitchell Robinson made his typical influence on the defensive finish.
Held to 6 factors within the first half, Pascal Siakam stored the Pacers shut with a six-point third quarter.
It was a shaky offensive interval for the Knicks, who managed simply 21 factors, dedicated 4 turnovers and didn’t hit a single 3-pointer.
Their lead was solely three getting into the ultimate 12 minutes.
