Tyrese Haliburton was sure his jumper as regulation time ended was going in, then was not certain it had after it bounced high off the rim and hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.
He thought it was a three-pointer to win the game, then quickly realized it was a two to tie. A lot to process, followed by just one thought with overtime looming.
“Then my focus just became winning it,” Haliburton said.
Photo: AP
The Pacers did, finishing off their stunning rally by beating the New York Knicks 138-135 in overtime on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks led by 14 points with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, but Aaron Nesmith brought the Pacers back with a flurry of three-pointers.
Haliburton then hoped he had won it with another.
With the Pacers down two and time running down, he started to lose control of his dribble, regained it and dribbled back out toward the three-point line. He fired up his jumper and when it finally fell in, he raced toward the sideline and made a choke signal to the crowd, like Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller did to Spike Lee while leading an Indiana comeback in a playoff game in 1994.
However, replays confirmed that Haliburton’s toe was on the line and it was a two-pointer that tied it at 125. Andrew Nembhard eventually made the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds remaining in OT.
Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists. Nesmith finished with 30 points, going eight-for-nine from three-point range.
The Pacers won a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round when they trailed by seven points with 40 seconds left in overtime, then stole one from the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers when they were behind by seven with 46 seconds remaining in regulation.
“It’s always special. It’s always fun,” Nesmith said. “This is what we live for.”
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