4 facts prove just how improbable Pacers comeback was in win over Knicks
The Indiana Pacers might have just pulled off the most spectacular comeback in NBA history as they stunned the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals
NEW YORK - The Indiana Pacers pulled off an epic comeback in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks – one that literally bordered on the impossible.
After an encouraging start, the Pacers found themselves chasing the Knicks until the very last second of regulation. Indiana kept the deficit in single digits for over 20 minutes. Then, early into the fourth quarter, New York went on a 14-point run that somehow started immediately after Jalen Brunson – the offensive spark who ended the night with 43 points on 60 percent shooting – was subbed off after picking up his fifth foul.
But the Pacers once again proved that no lead is safe against them this postseason. Aaron Nesmith's 3-point eruption kept Indiana in the game before Indy hero Tyrese Haliburton sent it to overtime with a long jumper that bounced high up the rim and then fell inside, prompting the two-time All-Star to recreate Reggie Miller's iconic choking gesture.
Haliburton and Co. finished the job in the extra five minutes, claiming a 138-135 win and a 1-0 series lead. Soon after, a number of hard-to-believe facts about the game emerged, which proved just how extraordinary Indiana's turnaround was.
14-point deficit in final 2:50
The Knicks built a 17-point lead with their fourth-quarter blitz, sending the Madison Square Garden crowd wild. The Pacers began chipping away at it immediately – courtesy of Pacers unsung hero Nesmith, who scored 20 points in the final period alone.
They were still down 14 after Brunson hit a step-back 3 with 2:51 left on the clock, though. If the mountain appeared to be too high to climb for Indiana at that point, that's because the history of the last 27 postseasons said it was.
Teams that trailed by 14 or more points in the final 2:50 of regulation had never overcome said deficit on 970 attempts. The Pacers made it 1-970 on Wednesday night.
Down 7+ with 50 seconds left
Indiana seemed to be in a dire situation even with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. The Knicks were up 121-112 with 59 seconds left after Brunson blew past Haliburton to lay it in despite Pascal Siakam's efforts to swat the ball away. When Nesmith responded with another trey, Mikal Bridges set Karl-Anthony Towns up for a fairly uncontested layup with a bounce pass to put New York back up eight.
A series of mistakes and missed free throws by the Knicks followed, setting the stage for Haliburton to make the incredible game-tying shot and then seal the deal in OT. As they did so, Indiana managed to overcome a seven-point deficit in the final 50 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime for just the fourth time in the playoffs since 1996-97.
Teams that have trailed by seven or more points with 0:50 left on the clock are now 4-1,702 since the 1997 postseason. Indiana has three of those wins... and they all came this year.
Knicks win probability? 99.7%
The Pacers have now come back from the dead in each of their series during the 2025 playoffs. In Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN's win probability model gave the Bucks a 97.9 percent chance to claim victory as they were up seven in the final 35 seconds of overtime – but Indiana clawed it back.
In the second round, the Cavaliers were projected to have a 95.9 percent odds of winning as they held a seven-point lead with just under a minute left on the clock in Game 2. And they fell too after Haliburton rebounded the ball off of his missed free throw before drilling a dagger 3 in the last second.
Still, those fails can't compare to the Knicks' choke job. ESPN's model estimated New York's chances at 99.7 percent when Brunson hit the aforementioned triple to put his team up 14 with a little under three minutes left.
Nesmith's 3-point rampage
Yes, Haliburton's miracle shot will be the one that's played over and over again for days to come. But as the Pacers playmaker said himself postgame, what Nesmith did in Game 1 "can't be talked about enough."
The 6-foot-6 forward willed Indiana's comeback into existence, scoring 20 points in a little over five minutes during the late charge. Along the way, he hit six 3-pointers – becoming the first player in NBA history to knock down six triples in the fourth quarter of a playoff game
Six players have managed to make as many treys in a single quarter during the postseason, but none of them came in the second half, let alone the final period while sparking perhaps the most shocking comeback of all time.