The Indiana Pacers pulled off another absurd comeback to kick off their conference finals series with the New York Knicks. They are never truly out of a game.
It was a rainy, gray day outside in New York City as the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks faced off for Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals.
It was the first battle of a series between two improving teams. One group, the Pacers, is in the conference finals for the second straight season. Led by Tyrese Haliburton, they’re hoping to move to the NBA Finals for just the second time in franchise history. They’ll have to beat the Knicks to do it. New York hosted their first conference finals game in 25 years on Wednesday, and fans avoiding the wet, gloomy city were greeted by the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
Little did the fans know, they were going to be rushing out of that arena and back into the pouring rain three hours later. And when that moment came, they couldn’t get out of Madison Square Garden fast enough.
The entire game played between the Pacers and Knicks was part of that story. The first 37 minutes of action kept the teams, and the fans, tense – it was 92-91 Knicks with 11-minutes to go in a back-and-forth game. Everyone was waiting for a signature moment or run. Many considered the two teams as equals heading into the series, and the first three quarters did nothing to disprove that.
New York had their moment. The ensuing 3:25 of play featured a 16-2 Knicks run, which put the hosts ahead by 16 with about seven minutes to go. The fans were indoors and excited, out of the rain and celebrating a game that was trending toward a conference finals win.
Indiana battled after falling behind by as much as 17, but they trailed 119-105 after a three-point shot from Knicks star Jalen Brunson with 2:51 on the clock. A 14-point lead with under three minutes finally relieved some of the tension in the arena. Spectators were shouting. Brunson pointed to the sky. The duel, to many, felt over.
The Pacers are not a part of that many. They never quit or feel like they are out of a game until the final buzzer sounds. That mentality allowed them to erase seven-point deficits in the final minute against Milwaukee and against Clevleand earlier in the playoffs. Despite the mini-celebrations that had entered MSG, Indiana hadn’t quit. They had one more push to make.
It started with a three-point shot from Aaron Nesmith, then another from Haliburton. As the Knicks scored a few times in the next minute, they were met by three more outside shots from Nesmith.
