Knicks star Jalen Brunson’s 43-point explosion wasn’t enough to stop one of the most shocking collapses in NBA playoff history Wednesday night.
The Pacers pulled off the impossible, erasing a 14-point deficit in the final three minutes of regulation before stealing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in overtime.
No team had ever come back from such a deficit that late in a playoff game. Ever.
“In the playoffs, when you win, it’s the best thing ever,” said a dejected Brunson, who struggled with seven turnovers and shot just 1-for-6 from three-point range. “When you lose, it’s the worst thing ever.”
It’s hard to overstate how rare this collapse was.
Teams leading by at least 14 points in the final 2:45 of the fourth quarter had been a perfect 994-0 since detailed play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98.
And it gets worse for New York.
Before this game, teams trailing by nine or more points in the final minute of playoff games were a hopeless 0-1,414 since 1998. The Pacers just made that 1-1,414.
Aaron Nesmith was the unlikely hero, drilling six three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone – tying an NBA playoff record for a single quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton delivered the most dramatic moment, hitting an incredible game-tying shot that bounced high off the rim before somehow dropping through the net.
Together, Haliburton and Nesmith became just the third Pacers duo ever to each score 30+ in a playoff game.
Karl-Anthony Towns tried to keep pace with 35 points and 12 rebounds for New York, while Josh Hart grabbed a game-high 13 boards.
“There’s a lot of things we did good, and we put ourselves in position to win,” Towns said afterward. “We played 46 good minutes. Those 2 minutes [are] where we lost the game, and that’s on all of us.”
The Knicks had one final chance to force a second overtime, but both Brunson and Towns missed three-pointers in the final 10 seconds.
New York will try to regroup before facing Indiana again in Game 2 on Friday. After a loss this devastating, that turnaround feels awfully quick.
