Tyrese Haliburton hit a step-back long two-pointer to beat the buzzer and send Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to overtime.
The Indiana Pacers were trailing the New York Knicks by two points with seven seconds remaining when Haliburton initiated the play from the other end of the court. He, first, penetrated the lane, but was cut off so he tried to sprint behind the 3-point line for a potential game-winning shot.
His prayer hit the back of the rim, and bounced above the backboard before, dramatically, dropping in.
Haliburton celebrated by choking himself to taunt the Knicks for blowing a lead before pointing at TNT broadcaster Reggie Miller, who had originated the celebration when he and the Pacers stunned the Knicks n Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
To Haliburton’s surprise, however, his shot was ruled a two and the replay confirmed his foot was on the line. Thus, the game was knotted up at 125 and headed to overtime.
The Pacers carried their momentum into overtime to pull out a 138-135 victory. In the extra period, the Knicks jumped out to a four-point advantage. But, Andrew Nembhard answered with a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup to give Indiana the lead. The two teams traded baskets for the next two minutes before Nembhard made two more crucial plays that helped Indiana seal it.
First, he scored off a crafty backdoor cut to put the Pacers up 136-135. Then, he jumped in front of an OG Anunoby pass headed for Jalen Brunson, deflecting off Brunson’s fingertips.
Officials initially ruled the ball off Nembhard, but it was overturned upon review. New York didn’t like the call, nor did Knicks super-fan Timothee Chalamet.
The Knicks tried to trap the Pacers on the ensuing possession, but their aggression resulted in Obi Toppin breaking free for a game-sealing dunk.
If the Pacers had ended up losing in overtime, Haliburton’s celebration could have gone down as an embarrassingly pre-mature gesture. In his defense, for the Pacers to even make it to overtime was a miracle.
They trailed the Knicks by 14 with 2:51 remaining in the fourth quarter, before closing on a 20-6 run with Haliburton’s shot tying it at 125. The Pacers are built for these comebacks as they stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers in both Game 1 and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
But, this surge created a whole new meaning for the word, comeback.
It started with Haliburton pulling and hitting a seemingly desperate 29-foot 3-point shot. Aaron Nesmith followed that with a catch-and-shoot 3 from the right wing. Then, Pascal Siakam added a free-throw to cut the margin to seven. Importantly, the Pacers scored on three straight possessions without allowing the Knicks to answer,
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