Pacers Pairing Conventional Wisdom With Improbability In NBA Finals Pursuit

The Indiana Pacers have become the kings of clutch. It’s a superpower that saved them again in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The visitors trailed the New York Knicks by 14 with under three minutes remaining. Teams up at least that much in the final 2:50 of the fourth quarter or overtime of a postseason tilt in the play-by-play era were 977-0, per Nate Duncan of Dunc’d On Prime.

What came next was a Madison Square Garden miracle, much to the chagrin of a raucous home crowd.

Aaron Nesmith turned clean looks from beyond the arc into shots that quickly shaved New York’s lead. The Knicks’ offense turned cold at the other end of the floor. Even opportunities at the free-throw line rimmed out.

After OG Anunoby went 1/2 at the charity stripe, only extending the hosts’ advantage to 125-123, with 7.1 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton drove downhill. Mikal Bridges poked at the ball, forcing the Pacers’ star to retreat behind the three-point line. His last-second shot ricocheted off the rim, hung in the air, then splashed through the net.

Haliburton thought he had followed Reggie Miller’s footsteps, handing the Knicks an improbable loss at the Garden. Like the latter, in attendance on the TNT broadcast, he gave the choke signal to the crowd.

Except Haliburton’s foot was on the line, meaning New York could salvage its late-game collapse.

Fortunately for Indiana, the visitors quickly regrouped after initially thinking they had already pulled off a remarkable comeback. New York registered the first four points of the fifth frame before five straight points from Andrew Nembhard. The third-year guard scored seven points in overtime, the most of any participant.

There was also an Obi Toppin put-back slam and another flush from Toppin after an Anunoby turnover. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns had chances to tie the game in the closing seconds, but their threes were off the mark. The Pacers prevailed, stealing the series opener, 138-135.

Since 1997-98, teams are 4-1,640 when trailing by at least seven points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime in the playoffs, per Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic. Indiana has three of those wins — in this postseason.

“It’s always special. It’s always fun,” said Nesmith after the win, per WISH-TV News. “This is what we live for; this is what we work every day for.”

Pacers’ win exemplifies what’s fueling their playoff run

Tom Haberstroh of the Substack TomTheFinder.com noted Haliburton is an astonishing 12 of 14 on shots to tie or take the lead in the final two minutes this season. The Pacers needed his late-game heroics and Nesmith’s shot-making and hounding defense against Jalen Brunson.

However, this exemplified a team win. Toppin and Nembhard’s contributions were crucial. So were the 17 points and six assists they got from Pascal Siakam. The same goes for T.J. McConnell’s and Bennedict Mathurin’s combining for 19 points off the bench.

That highlights what makes this Indiana team so special. Head coach Rick Carlisle regularly deploys a 10-player rotation. Sometimes, he’ll extend that even further, adding Jarace Walker to the mix.

The NBA playoffs have become more of a war of attrition than ever. The Pacers’ approach allows them to maintain a high-octane offensive operation throughout a game. It also helps keep them fresh while navigating a grueling and relentless schedule.

Conversely, The Knicks lean heavily on their starters. Tom Thibodeau primarily turns to two players off the bench, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride. After that, it’s Cameron Payne, who’s averaging 7.2 minutes this postseason.

If that doesn’t change or New York can’t find more contributors to help alleviate the burden the first unit is shouldering, fatigue could undermine the Knicks, just as that and the injuries that accompanied it did against Indiana in the playoffs last year.

For the Pacers, empowering the collective is an approach that now has them three wins for their first NBA Finals appearance since Miller led them there in 2000.