As far as rivalries go, the one between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers is right up there as among the best and most intense.
It is marked by memorable moments that now live forever in NBA lore—John Starks’ headbutting Reggie Miller in 1993, Miller exploding for 25 fourth-quarter points at Madison Square Garden, Patrick Ewing sending the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1994, and Larry Johnson hitting a game-winning four-point play in 1999.
But the most memorable of these unforgettable moments happened on May 7, 1995—or exactly 30 years and 15 days ago—when Miller shocked New York with the now-infamous 8 points in 9 seconds.
With time down to 18.7 ticks and the Pacers down by six, 105-99, Miller hit a quick trey off a timeout to halve the Knicks’ lead. He then intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass, retreated back to the arc, and hit another triple to improbably tie the game with 13.2 seconds left. Inexplicably, Sam Mitchell, Miller’s teammate, fouled the Knicks’ John Starks in the very next possession and sent him to the charity stripe.
Starks missed both, but Ewing grabbed the offensive board and got a point-blank shot in front of the basket. The big man short-armed it, and Miller was fouled in the scrum that ensued. Miller hit his two free throws, the Knicks failed to score on their final possession, and the Pacers stole Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semis—ultimately setting up their 4-3 triumph in that series.
It was a sublime rally for the Pacers, and it was a generational choke job for the Knicks. Miller, ever the trash talker, let the Knicks know about it, calling them “chokers” as both teams made their way into the locker room.
New-Age Pacers Author Comeback for the Ages as Knicks Choke Again
Thirty years and fifteen days later, today’s Pacers authored their own magical comeback. Theirs, though, wasn’t as quick and surgical as Miller’s. It was more of a slow burn, but it also featured dead-eye shooting from deep, a superstar retreating back to the arc for a dagger, and another generational choke job from the Knicks.
This time, the Knicks were again in the lead—and they were up big, 119-105, with 2:51 remaining. History was on their side, too, as teams holding at least a 14-point cushion that late in regulation had gone 994-0 since 1997. Then, the Pacers fought back and the Knicks… well, they began to choke badly.
Over that 2:45 span, Indiana unleashed 20 big points—5 from Tyrese Haliburton, 1 from Pascal Siakam, and 14 from Aaron Nesmith on four triples. New York, in contrast, mustered just four points and muffed two of four endgame freebies (one each by Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby).
Haliburton, 11-for-12 this season on shots to tie or take the lead, added to his clutch hits these playoffs, hitting a buzzer-beater that could have won the game outright for the Pacers had their superstar point guard retreated all the way to the three-point line. But he couldn’t quite get his right toe behind the arc and settled for the long two to send the game to OT.
Unsurprisingly, the man ranked as the most overrated player in the NBA by an “anonymous” poll reminded the Knicks of what happened: They choked—AGAIN.
The Pacers, though, still had to finish the job. And finish it they did, scoring the final two baskets of OT while the Knicks turned the ball over once and missed two desperation heaves from downtown—including one from Clutch Player of the Year winner Jalen Brunson.
In other words, the Pacers rose to the occasion twice—once in regulation and then in OT. The Knicks, meanwhile, choked not once but twice in one game, no less.
They did so 30 years and 15 days ago at The Garden. And, oops, they did it again on Thursday.
