Still, because Haliburton's foot was on the line, the Knicks could avoid making history if they could recover in overtime. Instead, it was much of the same as the Pacers kept rolling, with Andrew Nembhard doing most of the damage with seven points in the extra period.

As we've seen this season and in the playoffs, the Knicks too often require a kick in the behind when they struggle against the top teams.

Jalen Brunson had just tied Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing's franchise record by reaching 30 points in the playoffs for the 18th time with the New York Knicks. Then the Knicks hit the Indiana Pacers with a 14-0 run after Brunson had to go to the bench early in the fourth quarter Wednesday night after picking up his fifth foul,

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was a dark religious experience for Knicks fans. But it was not a deathblow.

New York's infamous backpages have all drawn the parallel between what Tyrese Haliburton did and what Reggie Miller did 30 years ago.

Even in the big 2025, certain situations can still be too good to be true. Just ask one Kalshi bettor who lost nearly $10,000 when the New York Knicks improbably collapsed against the Indiana Pacers. A Kalshi user risked $9,626 to win $77 when the Knicks had a 99% chance to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

"He got too much air space," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Nesmith after the game.

Aaron Nesmith went wild down the stretch, hitting six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby missed killer free throws in the final 14.3 seconds, as the Knicks failed to close out the win.