The Indiana Pacers’ Shocking Game 1 Heist: How They Caught the New York Knicks Off Guard in the Eastern Conference Finals

Ever wonder if the Knicks actually had Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals locked up—only to watch it slip away like a bar of soap in a shower? Well, that’s exactly what happened when the Indiana Pacers pulled off yet another jaw-dropping comeback that made you question reality. These two teams, with their playoff history packed fuller than a New York deli on Sunday, somehow delivered a thriller that even skeptics couldn’t have scripted better. Down by eight with less than 40 seconds on the clock, the Pacers conjured up some serious Reggie Miller vibes—thanks to Aaron Nesmith’s ice-cold shooting and Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch wizardry—to force overtime and snatch a 138-135 victory. For most teams, this would be the highlight of the season—heck, the decade—but for Indiana, it’s just business as usual, marking their third such comeback this postseason. And if that doesn’t have you pondering the nature of “clutch” and fate in the NBA, well, nothing will. Curious about the nitty-gritty and how Jalen Brunson’s stellar night was derailed? Dive in right here. LEARN MORE.

The Knicks had Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals won. Until they didn’t. Here’s how the Pacers pulled off their latest incredible comeback.

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks both scored big upsets in the second round of the NBA playoffs and have a playoff history that few matchups can rival. It was always going to be difficult for this year’s series between these two teams to live up to the hype.

If Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is any indication, this series has been undersold.

Wednesday night, the Pacers stormed back from down eight points with under 40 seconds left to send it to overtime with a combination of Aaron Nesmith channeling Reggie Miller’s shooting touch and Tyrese Haliburton channeling Reggie Miller’s ability in the clutch and choking motion. It was just enough for a 138-135 win to go up 1-0 in the series.

For any other team, this would be the craziest win of the season. For the Pacers, it’s business as usual. It was their third win this postseason after trailing by seven points or more with under 50 seconds left.

The Pacers have been an excellent clutch team all season, but the playoffs have been a whole new level. They have outscored teams 104-63 in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter this postseason.

Coming into this round, the Pacers were facing their biggest clutch challenge yet, and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has a trophy sponsored by Kia to prove it. He’s been undeniable in late-game situations this season. But in Game 1, he was just another victim to the Pacers clutch machine.

Hot Shots

The Pacers started the game 9 for 9 from the field and that somehow wasn’t their most impressive shooting stretch of the game.

They’re the second team since at least 2003 to shoot 100% from the field and score 20 points or more in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter of a playoff game. The Utah Jazz did this as well on May 13, 2007, but most of their damage came from the free throw line since they were ahead. The Jazz only hit three field goals in the last three minutes.

Conversely, the Pacers were behind and had to make tough 3s to stay in the game. They went 6 of 6 from the field, with five of those shots from behind the arc.

Nesmith was the hero for most of that stretch, knocking down all four of his 3-pointers. The Knicks were aware that he was hot, but it didn’t matter. He kept getting good looks against a scrambling defense and drilling them.

Nesmith became the first player since at least 2003 to hit four 3s in the final three minutes of a playoff game without missing any. It was further validation for a player who was a first-round draft pick for the Boston Celtics in 2020 but never got a real chance in the rotation there. He’s thrived for three years in Indiana after being traded as part of a package for Malcolm Brogdon and finished 10th in the NBA in 3-point percentage this season.

The barrage at the end gave the Pacers 38 points in the fourth quarter, tied for their most in any fourth quarter in playoff history. They also hit seven 3s in the quarter, their most in a postseason fourth quarter.

Yet, it would all have been for not if the last bucket didn’t go down for Haliburton. He definitely got a friendly bounce (it didn’t bounce around as much, but it evoked the game-winner Kawhi Leonard hit to crush the Philadelphia 76ers’ collective soul in 2019), but just getting a shot online to the rim was impressive. He had to separate quickly with his step back, did that and reacted with the Miller choke sign. Television shows are rebooting everything from the ’90s and apparently the NBA playoffs are now, too.

In overtime, it was Andrew Nembhard doing the heavy lifting and scoring seven of the Pacers’ 13 points. It was enough to propel them to a win that felt like absolute thievery.

Double Trouble

The end-of-game defensive execution is going to be hard for the Knicks to swallow. But the adjustments the Pacers made in the second half on Brunson will likely be more important as the series moves forward.

Brunson has had big scoring games against the Pacers in the playoffs in the past and added another one Wednesday night.

The game started exactly how Brunson could’ve hoped offensively. The Pacers weren’t committing any help on Brunson’s drives or isolations. They were digging and throwing some hands at him, but were content to let him play one-on-one.

Nembhard guarded Brunson for a good chunk of the game, and he’s an above-average defender. He’s not good enough to routinely stop Brunson in isolation, though, and the Knicks’ leading scorer got to his spots at will. He missed all three of his 3-pointers in the first half but shot 6 of 8 on 2-pointers. He also had three assists and just one turnover.

Slowly but surely, the Pacers turned up the help in the second half. They were a little hesitant to commit extra bodies to him early in the third quarter, but the help came more and more frequently as the game continued. By the end, the Pacers were switching their defensive aggression enough to not be predictable, and constantly sent help from somewhere on any play where Brunson started to make a move in isolation.

Myles Turner played just two minutes in the fourth quarter, likely due to his struggles guarding 7-footer Karl-Anthony Towns and coach Rick Carlisle’s desire to go smaller. But Turner was back in for overtime, and, after a couple of shaky plays, he forced a crucial jump ball (which he subsequently won) by surprising Brunson with a double team off a screen.

It’s not like the Pacers shut down Brunson; he still got his points in the second half and the Knicks scored 35 points in the fourth quarter. But they forced him into six turnovers after halftime compared to two assists. They were able to force giveaways without it turning into easy looks for the rest of the team. That’s one way to lower the Knicks’ efficiency even when Brunson is scoring. If both teams are shooting the way they did, turnovers can be the difference maker.

Brunson’s a smart player and will adjust to the Pacers’ aggressiveness to be ready for Game 2. But the Pacers’ tactics worked for at least one game, and their defense was just good enough to let their offense steal a game they had no business winning.

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