It was an electric scene at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday as the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers clashed for their first game of the Eastern Conference Finals. After controlling the game for three quarters, the Knicks felt good about their chances of victory before a sudden barrage of three-pointers gave the Pacers a last-minute push to tie the game. The story of the game can really be summed up in one amazing moment from Tyrese Haliburton, who made a “choking” gesture during his team’s fourth-quarter comeback.
It was the defining moment of an amazing night for the Indiana Pacers, who rallied from down 17 (14 with 2:40 left) to win the game and steal home-court advantage. Haliburton, who played 42 minutes in the game, finished with 31 points, four rebounds, and 11 assists in the win. When he saw his game-tying shot go in down the stretch, he couldn’t help but make a reference to one of Reggie Miller’s most legendary taunts.
Miller’s “choke” was the result of an extraordinary outburst from the Pacers’ star, who went off for eight points in nine seconds against the Knicks in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals. After leading his Knicks to a critical playoff win, Miller directed his “choking” taunt at Knicks superfan Spike Lee, and the rest is history.
While the Pacers would go on to win that series, they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic. For this year’s Pacers team, Haliburton is hoping for a different outcome, and it seems he’s already off to a hot start.
With multiple comebacks throughout the postseason, the Pacers have pulled off one miracle after another, and they are like a whole different team in the clutch. Whether or not this trend can continue remains to be seen, but they certainly have enough firepower on offense to keep the Knicks on their heels.
After taking Game 1 on the road, Indiana now has full control of the series, and the pressure is on New York to win on Friday to avoid dropping their first two games at home.
Regardless of a win or loss in Game 2, the Pacers can never be counted out with the comebacks they’ve been pulling recently, and Tyrese Haliburton is at the center of them all. As the leader and playmaker of the Pacers, he’s got the whole team connected and following the same beat offensively.
For the season, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game on 47.3% shooting, and he didn’t even make the cut for the All-Star roster in the East. In the playoffs, Hali is proving his true worth by leading the Pacers to their second Conference Finals appearance as he steps up with major performances in the clutch.
In just a few seasons in the NBA, Haliburton has emerged as one of the top point guards in the league, and he’s cemented himself as the future of the Pacers for what he’s been able to do over a relatively short span of time.
