As both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers can attest, this year's Indiana Pacers have been touched with a bit of improbable good fortune throughout the postseason, starting with their wild Game 5 clincher in the first round against Milwaukee. In that game, Indiana trailed by seven points with 40 seconds to play yet rallied to win.
Against the Cavaliers, it was almost the same thing in Game 2, with Cleveland leading by 14 entering the fourth period and still holding a solid seven-point lead with just 57 seconds to go. According to ESPN's gamecast, the Cavs had a 95.9% chance to win that game at that point.
But it was another furious last-minute rally in that one, and a Pacers comeback win, one that pretty much deflated Cleveland from there.
May 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates with teammates after tying the game in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime against the New York Knicks during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates with teammates after tying the game in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime against the New York Knicks during game one of the Eastern Conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
And on Wednesday, as the Knicks faithful knows all too well, the Pacers completed an even wilder rally, trailing by 14 points with just over three minutes to play, and down by nine points with 52 seconds to go. Again, ESPN had them doomed, with the Knicks owning a 98.8% chance of winning.
But it was another rally, topped by Tyrese Haliburton's bounding tying shot and the Pacers' overtime victory drive.
On Friday, the NBA posted a message highlighting the crazy Pacers' postseason.
The league wrote: "Indiana is the FIRST AND ONLY team... ... to have four 17+ point comeback wins in a single playoffs in the PXP era Haliburton's clutch shot to send the game to OT & Nesmith's 8 triples propelled the Pacers to the Game 1 East Finals win on the road."
As the post noted, coach Rick Carlisle said, "Pacers basketball is 48 minutes."
The Knicks would do well to remember that heading into tip-off of Game 2 at Madison Square Garden on Friday, at 8 p.m. ET.