CNN
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With the Knicks rising 14 points in less than three minutes, New York fans were fusing about “the world’s most famous arena.”
That was until Aaron Nesmith and Ty Halliburton helped the Indiana Pacers pull away what they could not think.
The Indiana duo led the Pacers to a miraculous comeback and beat overtime 138-135 to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old Nesmith, the former first round pick for the Boston Celtics, set fire from long distances and knocked down five three-pointers in the final three-minute restrictions to keep Indiana in the game.
The barrage from Deep had Knicks on his heels, despite a presumably safe lead.
With two Pacers falling, and the clock ticking through the last few seconds, Halliburton did what he’d done before in these playoffs: Become a hero.
The 25-year-old let out a long jumper on the buzzer.
As the garden crowd remained unsettled by what was considered a game-winning triple, Halliburton created a choking signal to the crowd, as Pacers legend and Nysmith Basketball Hall of Fame Reggie Miller led Indiana in the playoffs game in 1994 with Academy Award-winning filmmakers and Knicks Super Fan Spikeley.
However, after the review, Ref ruled it with a two pointer and forced the OT. From there, the Pacers remained in control and secured the victory.
Halliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists, while Nesmith added 30 points eight-nine from downtown.
It was the third time Pacer has stopped making his miraculous comeback this year in the playoffs. According to Indiana, since the 1996-97 season, only four have won seven or more teams in regulations of 7 or more seconds or more in overtime in 1,706 playoff games, with Indiana having three in this postseason alone.
The first victory was trailing in less than seven minutes of overtime and then in a seventh minute, then against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and the seventh place Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.
Even more impressive, according to the team, the Pacers were the first in the last 27 postseasons, winning the game at age 14 at the final 2:50 of the fourth quarter in 971 attempts.
Knicks star Jalen Branson scored a game-high 43 points and praised Pacer for his kitless attitude.
“We gave them a lot of credit and they closed the game like they’re making all the playoffs. It’s not very good on our part,” Branson said after the game.
After the match, Halliburton said he saw the 2010 documentary, “Victory Time: Reggie Miller vs. New York Knicks” many times.
In addition to “not wanting to repeat that,” Halliburton expressed a bit of regret doing it on a shot that hadn’t won the game.
“It felt good back then,” Halliburton told reporters. “If I had known that it was two, I wouldn’t have done it. I might have wasted it. If I did that, people might say I’d do Aura Farming. I’m not going to use it again.”
When asked if Halliburton wanted him not to gesture, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle said, “Players can do what they want.”
“It’s emotional, it’s not a big deal. We have to go out there, and it’s unlikely that we’ll be louder than we did tonight,” Carlisle said. “It means I was hooked on it. The environment won’t be disappointed here. During this time you want to enter the most hostile and most difficult environment and test your spirit… that’s not a big deal for me.”
The two teams have long been acclaimed rivalry, dating back to the 1990s, when the teams sported Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Antonio, Dale Davis and Ricksmitt. They met in the second round last year, and Indiana eliminated the Knicks on the road in Game 7.
Nevertheless, Knicks Center’s Karl Anthony Towns downplayed the “historical similarity” between the game and past games with a Halliburton choke gesture.
“It’s our job to make history. We’re here to make history, not to repeat it, so it doesn’t come to my mind. I can only think about the present and what we can do and we can make our own history.”
Game 2 will take place in New York on Friday night.