Indiana Pacers
Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The New York Knicks were less than one minute away from taking a 1-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals at a frenzied Madison Square Garden before suffering a crushing defeat, that one analyst is calling the “biggest choke job” of all time.
Down nine with under 60 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Pacers mounted an improbable comeback capped by Tyrese Haliburton’s game-tying shot that bounced high off the back of the rim and dropped through as time expired. Indiana went on to win 138-135 in overtime, completing one of the most stunning turnarounds in NBA playoff history.
The comeback was historically rare. Teams were 0-1,414 in the playoffs since 1998 when trailing by at least nine points with less than a minute remaining in regulation — until Wednesday night.
Haliburton finished with 31 points, while Aaron Nesmith caught fire from three-point range, going 8-for-9 including six threes in the fourth quarter. He ended with 30 points.
ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams had harsh words for New York’s crushing loss.
“Statistically, that’s the worst home loss in New York Knicks history and it’s the biggest choke job in NBA playoff history, just based off the statistics,” Williams said on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
He continued: “New York had it, MSG had it and then they fumbled it. And then Indiana literally came into Madison Square Garden, an iconic venue, and grabbed the mic and told New York to shut up. That’s what happened last night. That’s how incredible of a game it was.”
"Statistically … it's the biggest choke job in NBA playoff history."
—@RealJayWilliams reacts to the Knicks' Game 1 loss to the Pacers pic.twitter.com/KNLmcFiUfd
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 22, 2025
The Knicks will look to rebound in Game 2 against the Pacers on Friday night at MSG.