The New York Knicks lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Indiana Pacers in stunning fashion on Wednesday night and made some brutal NBA history in the process.
The Knicks led by 14 points with with 2:45 to play in the fourth quarter but then watched it all slip away before losing, 138-135, in overtime. The crowd at Madison Square Garden was ready to celebrate a series-opening win but then had to sadly slink out of the arena in total disbelief over what they had just seen.
Tyrese Haliburton’s dramatic buzzer-beater sent the game to ovetime, where the Pacers were able to do enough to pull off the historic comeback.
Here’s the bad history the Knicks made in the loss: They became the first team to lose a playoff game when leading by 14 or more with 2:45 to play in the fourth quarter. Teams had been a combined 994-0 when leading by 14+ with that much time left.
And it gets worse: Teams had been 1,414-0 when leading by nine or more points in the final minute of a playoff game. They are now 1,414-1 thanks to what happened to the Knicks.
Game 2 is Friday night at MSG. It will be interesting to see how the Knicks regroup after such a historic loss.
