New York Knicks
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The New York Knicks had a Game 1 win in the Conference Finals in their hands, and they let it slip through their fingers on Wednesday night. Yet, despite blowing a near 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, they still had a chance to keep home-court advantage against the Indiana Pacers in overtime. But five more minutes were not enough to avoid one of the biggest NBA Playoff collapses in team history.
While yesterday brought absolute misery for basketball fans in New York City, it brought exhilaration for fans and Indiana. And their wild ride this spring got a chapter that will be talked about for decades. With all of that in mind, let’s look at the biggest winners and losers from a fantastic opening game to the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals.
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Loser: New York Knicks fans
new york knicks
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New York Knicks fans in Madison Square Garden were loud and proud throughout Game 1 of the East Finals. But, unsurprisingly, they got very quiet as they saw their team’s huge lead in the fourth slowly disappear, and hopes of a win vanished in overtime. They have seen this story before as a fan base that hasn’t seen an NBA championship since 1973. They didn’t deserve that, because New York fans did their part on Wednesday night.
Winner: Aaron Nesmith
aaron nesmith
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If Knicks or general NBA fans weren’t aware of Aaron Nesmith before, you know him now. The Pacers don’t make a stunning fourth quarter comeback without the 25-year-old turning into Stephen Curry late in the game by hitting a boatload of threes and scoring 12 of his team’s 13 points to slash a huge deficit. The youngster was one of the better three-point shooters in the game this season, but no one knew he could be that filthy in the clutch from the arc.
Loser: Jalen Brunson
jalen brunson
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Scoring 43 doesn’t seem like the performance of a loser. However, this loss will leave Jalen Brunson without a lot of regret. While he led all scorers in Game 1, he also led the game — and by far — in turnovers with a whopping seven. That is a huge amount in the most important games of the year. Furthermore, his fourth quarter foul trouble led to him being put on the bench for an unusual amount of time.
While his teammates seemed to do more than enough to build a big lead (and then blow it), the superstar will surely be wondering if he was on the floor more in the fourth, could he have done enough to secure a win on Wednesday?
Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
tyrese haliburton
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These NBA Playoffs have been all about quieting the doubters for Tyrese Haliburton. His colleagues voted him as the most overrated player in the game during the season, and he has been the most underrated during the postseason. While he had a slow start in Game 1, he had a strong second half, which included many big shots, including the one that sent this wild game to overtime. Haliburton has played like an elite star this spring.
Winner: Karl-Anthony Towns
new york knicks
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In huge playoff games, you need your top stars to play big. While he struggled throughout the Boston Celtics series, Karl-Anthony Towns played like an All-NBA player in Game 1. He was the only Knick starter with a plus-minus as he posted 35 points and 12 rebounds. Although his defense hurt them at times in Game 1, KAT has little to feel bad about after Game 1.
Loser: Josh Hart
new york knicks
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Josh Hart is the heart and soul of the New York Knicks. But he was messy at times in some huge moments. The swingman put up his typical all-around numbers, but his sneakers — of all things — failed him late in the game as he was slipping all over the court on offense and defense. Then, when the team regained the lead in overtime, his typically good defense also failed him as the Pacers retook the lead on a slashing layup and never relinquished it. Hart will be kicking himself hard all the way until Game 2.
Loser: Tom Thibodeau
New York Knicks
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NBA fans know Tom Thibodeau is a very good coach who just seems cursed in the NBA Playoffs. Despite a memorable career, he has never gotten his team to the NBA Finals. This feels like the year with a really good Knicks team and a favorable matchup against the Pacers. Yet, despite a big lead late, his team was on the wrong end of a historic collapse. It would be hard for him not to wonder if his playoff curse will return again this spring.
Winner: Indiana Pacers fans
Indiana Pacers
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This has been a legendary spring for Indiana Pacers fans. Their team beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1. Then the top seed Cleveland Cavaliers, in the semis. Now, they may have taken the Knicks’ heart with, arguably, the best playoff comeback in team history. Pacers fans’ high came nowhere close to coming down on Wednesday.