Indiana stuns New York With Wild 17-Point Game 1 Comeback

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Different series, the same episode.

That was just a ridiculous way to draw first blood in an NBA Conference Finals stage. Geez, for the third time in the ongoing NBA Playoffs, the Indiana Pacers pulled off another miracle win, shocking the New York Knicks with a 17-point comeback, 138-135, to bag Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 22, 2025.

Down by nine points with only 58.8 seconds left, Indiana replicated what it did against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks, extending its record as the only franchise in NBA history to overcome such a deficit with less than a minute left in regulation in a playoff setting.

That’s just total insanity, folks.

To bag the stellar win, the Pacers had to survive nine-feet drowning water in the remaining 58.8 seconds after Jalen Brunson converted a layup that extended New York’s cushion to 121-112.

When everyone already counted out the visiting Indiana squad, there were some who believed that they could get out of the chokehold, and those were the tensed members on the bench and the coaching staff headed by Rick Carlisle.

Aaron Nesmith kicked off their comeback after knocking down a huge three-pointer that got them to within six points, 121-115.

However, Karl-Anthony Towns almost spoiled Indiana’s resurgence when he buried a clutch six-footer jumper that put the Knicks in a comfortable eight-point lead with only 41.7 seconds left.

Just when New York thought they already were in a safe situation, Indiana let them know that another surge was coming after Nesmith turned into a three-point machine, cashing in two more cold-blooded treys in just 12 seconds that pulled the Pacers to just a deuce, 123-121, in the remaining 22.6 seconds.

Towns had the opportunity to put New York up by four points but missed a shot at the charity stripe that fueled Indiana’s chances of equalizing the thrilling game.

Carrying a three-point lead and cautious of receiving a demoralizing trey, New York head coach Tom Thibodeau ordered his wards to play the foul game, putting Nesmith to the free throw line that kept the Pacers at bay after shooting both, 124-123, with 12.4 seconds left.

The Knicks had another window of opportunity to put more pressure on Indiana but OG Anunoby split a pair of charities after he was fouled that only put New York by a deuce, 125-123.

The final 7.3 seconds of the regulation became an eternity for the Pacers after Tyrese Haliburton called for the ball and looked to put the whole Indiana franchise on his shoulders once again.

After crossing past the half-court, Haliburton checked Mikal Bridges with a snappy crossover dribble that allowed him to penetrate straight to the cup.

Fortunately for New York, Bridges was able to poke the ball sideways, forcing Haliburton to pull back from the top of the key with only 1.2 seconds left.

For the Knicks, it was already a dub.

But for the Pacers fans, shades of Haliburton’s game-winning shot against the Cavaliers in Game 2 played live in their minds, and that’s exactly what happened.

For the second consecutive playoff stage, Haliburton was able to bail out the Pacers out of danger as he swished the game-tying jumper that helped Indiana force overtime.

Indiana initially thought that Haliburton’s shot was a three, but the referees counted it as a two-pointer after the official game review replayed that his foot slightly stepped into the rainbow line.

At the start of the overtime period, Towns and Anunoby steered the Knicks to an early four-point lead, 129-125, but Nesmith continued his waxing hot shooting for the Pacers and buried another trey to trim their deficit to just a point.

Both teams traded blows in the next 2:44 duration of the game, with Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, and Haliburton helping the Pacers take a 136-135 advantage with only 15.3 seconds left in OT.

New York had two chances to force the second OT of the game, but Brunson and Towns missed all of their haymakers, rewarding the Pacers with an emphatic 17-point Eastern Conference Final comeback win.

Haliburton top-scored the resilient Pacers squad after supplying a double-double performance of 31 points, 11 assists, and four rebounds, while Nesmith, the unsung hero of the game, dropped his best-scoring outing of the Playoffs with 30 markers, including three clutch treys that helped force OT.

On the other hand, New York’s two-headed monster of Brunson and Towns combined for 78 points, but their dominant scoring contribution wasn’t enough to disrupt the rolling Pacers.

“It ain’t over till it’s over. We just figured out a way to win. Man, I’m so proud of this group,” Haliburton said during the post-game press conference.