Stephen A. Smith laid into his beloved New York Knicks on May 22, the day after their heartbreaking Game 1 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers.
“You’re talking about the New York Knicks committing about five turnovers in clutch time!” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “We’re talking about this cat Nesmith going, in the last five minutes, six of six from 3-point range, looking like the second coming of Steph Curry. We’re talking about Tyrese Haliburton pointing at Reggie Miller and putting the choke sign up, mimicking that former great Indiana Pacer!
“It was an epic collapse. There’s no excuse for it. I’m sick to my stomach over it. I can’t believe I didn’t throw up.”
Having a large lead over the Pacers late in a game has been a death knell for three teams in the playoffs so far: the Bucks, who lost in overtime after leading by seven with 40 seconds left, the first-seeded Cavaliers who blew a seven point lead with 58 seconds left and now the Knicks who collapsed after mishandling a 14 point lead with three minutes to go.
Tyrese Haliburton’s Heroics
Despite being the star of the team, Haliburton wasn’t the go-to scorer down the stretch in the fourth quarter, but he did hit the most impressive shot of the game. Haliburton took the inbounds pass on the other side of the court and rushed towards the rim only to be met by big man Mitchell Robinson.
That’s when Haliburton turned around and treaded back out toward the 3-point line, throwing up one of his now signature clutch time heaves. The shot hit the back of the rim before bouncing high above the backboard and down through the hoop as time expired to send the Pacers and Knicks to overtime.
“It felt like it got stuck up there,” Haliburton told The Athletic. “And honestly, like, when it went in, I was like my eyes might have been deceiving me in the moment. But it felt good — it felt good when it left my hand.”
Haliburton proceeded to pay homage to Reggie Miller’s infamous choke celebration by doing it himself, pointing at the aforementioned Miller who was on the TNT broadcast.
Haliburton would continue to contribute in overtime, finishing his night with 31 points and 11 assists in the victory.
Nesmith, Pacers Playoff Legend?
GettyAaron Nesmith of the Indiana Pacers
While Haliburton is getting most of the headlines for his clutch shot and celebration, wing Aaron Nesmith played just as big a role, if not bigger, than Haliburton did for the Pacers. As part of his 30-point performance which included shooting eight of nine from three, Nesmith literally did things no other NBA player has done in league history.
Not to discount Nesmith’s shooting abilities, but not even he is normally as good a shooter as he has been in the playoffs. Nesmith is a career 38.5% 3-point shooter, but come playoff time has shot an astounding 53.8% from 3 this playoffs.
In the past, Nesmith has not been an exceptional marksman during the playoffs, so the Pacers will need his continued production if they want to reach the Finals for the first time since 2000.
GettyJalen Brunson of the New York Knicks
How the Knicks Collapsed
Jalen Brunson had a standout performance but it wasn’t quite enough to deliver a win. He finished his night with 43 points on 15-25 shooting. This would tie him with Patrick Ewing for most 30+ point playoff games in Knicks history.
But but with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, an eternity in basketball, Brunson picked up his fifth foul, one away from fouling out. This limited his production defensively down the stretch for fear he’d foul out.
This was evident in the Pacers’ comeback as the Knicks team defense was lackluster. Soon enough, the Pacers found themselves back in it, and with pressure mounting and the game on the line, the Knicks couldn’t convert at the free throw line or from the field.
O.G. Anunoby could have made it a three-point game with seconds left but missed one of his free throws to allow Haliburton to tie it up. In overtime, they went just three of eight from the field. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both missed crucial 3s to try and tie the game at the end, and it was all she wrote as the Pacers finished off the game.
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