Knicks-Pacers Game 1 Review: Oh No, Not Again

There is no other way you can revive 1990s basketball than by featuring a playoff matchup between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. What used to be a must-see television rivalry during the era of high-top fades and jean shorts is now reality TV on the verge of turning this league upside down. Each of them has already knocked the number one and number two seeded teams in the East out of the championship race. The game was tight throughout the first three quarters. The Knicks would pull the game away from the Pacers in the fourth quarter with superb shot-making and tenacious rebounding on the offensive end. That's what it looked like until after a Tyrese Haliburton three-pointer after a 14-0 run by the New York Knicks around the three-minute mark.

Last night was a flashback to Reggie Miller in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Game one of that Knicks-Pacers series, where Reggie Miller scored eight points in nine seconds. After being down by six points to the Knicks during the final 18 seconds of the game. The last shot was off a bad inbound pass by Knicks small forward Anthony Mason. Reggie would take the ball and run back to the three-point area to do what he did best. Hit the shot needed for a Pacers' win, and of course, it was a three-pointer, because that's Reggie Miller. It was a 107-105 win over the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

Shots From Beyond

Right when Jalen Brunson hit a shot from beyond, making it a 119-105 lead for the Knicks. Tyrese Haliburton started a run that opened the shooting range back up for Indiana's shooters. Aaron Nesmith's three-pointer at the 3:14 time mark in the fourth quarter to cut the Knicks' lead down to nine points seemed temporary. But it would be the first of six straight three-point shots under the game's final four minutes to make it a winnable game for the Pacers again. Nesmith hit five of those three-point shots down the stretch, scoring 17 points.

Tyrese Haliburton would take the game to an extra period with a game-tying jumper that bounced up from the rim and right back down into the net. It could have been called a three, but officials reviewed the replay showing Haliburton's toe pressing on the line. It would be called a two-point shot, and a fight to the finish began in overtime, with the Pacers prevailing at the end, 138-135, with more clutch shots by Tyrese Haliburton. He finished the night in New York with 31 points and 11 assists.

Where's the Defense

There was no defense to be found, but it was the Knicks that suffered the most from the lack of D. In the fourth quarter at the 6:26 mark, with a seventeen-point lead, their largest lead of the game. They were getting too comfortable and let their guard down, allowing the Pacers to send shots from beyond to send the game to overtime. By the end of the night, the Knicks permitted the Pacers to shoot 40 percent from three-point range with a total of 15 three-pointers made for the night. About every three-point shot that the Pacers made was uncontested.

There was so much space given to Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard behind the three-point arc. So many instances, players on the Knicks were caught playing Ring Around the Rosey with the Pacers' shooters. Being stuck in confusion on who to guard, not looking out for the picks, not switching on those picks, and allowing Haliburton to run back to the three-point line after changing his mind at the last second on the last shot in regulation. After he was driving to the basket and had a chance to change his mind to retreat to three-point range to win the game, it shouldn't have happened that way.

There was not a single Knicks player around him on that play. They were all in panic about what to do. Who should I guard? Where is the ball going? Is he going to shoot it? They should have at least collapsed on Haliburton during that last or tried to block off opportunities for a three-point shot to win the game. There wasn't any pressure given to any Pacers player whatsoever during the night. Instead, there was a lot of rushing from the Knicks' defenders towards the ball and Pacers' players roaming around free on the Madison Square hardwood.

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