Unthinkable ‘choke’ turns NBA on its head as Tyrese Haliburton lifts Pacers to win over Knicks

Tyrese Haliburton knocked down a ridiculous game-tying shot, sparking a truly extraordinary Indiana Pacers comeback win.

Tyrese Haliburton knocked down a ridiculous game-tying, buzzer-beating shot at the end of regulation to spark an extraordinary Indiana Pacers comeback win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Haliburton’s downtown heave with seconds remaining in the fourth hit the back iron, with the ball ricocheting high into the air before unfathomably dropping through the hoop.

New York Knicks fans were in disarray as the entire arena thought it was a three-pointer, with the Pacers’ star guard prematurely hitting the iconic Reggie Miller ‘choke’ celebration — before replay footage revealed his right toes were on the line.

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The Knicks led 125-123 with seven seconds left after New York forward OG Anunoby went 1-2 at the free-throw line, with Haliburton going down the other end and sending Madison Square Garden into stunned silence.

Haliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists; just the second time in Pacers playoff history that a player has recorded 30 points and 10 assists.

Indiana had come back from 17 points down (94-111) with 6:26 left in regulation to stun the hosts, fuelled by a 20-point fourth quarter from Aaron Nesmith, who finished his banner night with 30 points on a blistering 8-9 from beyond the arc.

In overtime, the catalyst was an emphatic dunk by Obi Toppin that made it 138-135, Pacers, with 15.3 seconds remaining.

The clearly-rattled Knicks had two chances to tie the game with the last possession; Jalen Brunson’s three-pointer airballed before Karl Anthony-Towns barely grazed the front of the rim after New York grabbed the offensive rebound.

Tyrese Haliburton knocks it down, but his foot is on the line, meaning the game went to overtime, but it didn’t matter.

It was an Eastern Conference Finals thriller for the history books, as the Pacers recorded their fourth 15-point comeback win this post-season alone — tying the 2003 Mavericks for the most such triumphs in the past 25 years.

“Basketball is fun. Winning is fun,” Haliburton said in frenetic post-game scenes.

“I’m so proud of the resilience of this group, we’ve shown it all year.

“We’ve had to win in so many different, random, unique ways — and today, we just kept going and fighting and, man, that’s fun.”

On his monumental shot and subsequent celebration, Haliburton said: “I didn’t know how much time was left, so I just tried to gather myself and knock the shot down. I thought it was a three, I tried to hit the celly (Miller celebration), and it didn’t work, but we finished it in overtime.

“Everybody’s been wanting me to do it (the Miller celebration), I was going to hold it for the right time, that felt appropriate, and then it went to overtime. So, we’re going to have to save it for later.”

Originally published as Unthinkable ‘choke’ turns NBA on its head as Tyrese Haliburton lifts Pacers to win over Knicks