Well — that escalated quickly.
The Knicks built a 17-point fourth-quarter cushion in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals — then watched it dissolve in real time, undone by a series of defensive breakdowns and a momentum swing that felt like whiplash. What should have been a statement win at Madison Square Garden turned into a stunning 138-135 overtime collapse to the Indiana Pacers.
And what should have been a 1-0 series lead instead landed the Knicks on the wrong side of history. They played 45 minutes of winning basketball — and still became the first team in NBA playoff history to blow a 14-point lead with under 2:50 to play in regulation or overtime.
It’s the kind of gut punch that doesn’t just sting — it hangs in the air of any locker room.
“I’m pretty sure everyone’s gonna be thinking about it, but I think our mindset has to be short-term memory — just from the disappointment part,” Knicks captain Jalen Brunson said Thursday after a film session in Tarrytown. “Obviously we gotta learn from what we did, but the short-term memory comes from the disappointment and discouragement of how we lost last night. Just gotta be ready to go.”
Now, the Knicks are breaking out the air freshener. They are trying to shake off the emotional aftermath of a game that turned sour. Game 1 didn’t just cost the Knicks home-court advantage — it gave Indiana a jolt of confidence, reinforced the danger of the Pacers’ pace of play, and served as a reminder that this series will be defined by chaos, conditioning, and composure under pressure.
“The energy is fine. Energy is pretty high. I think vibes are good,” said Mikal Bridges. “I think it’s just about owning up to not finishing strong.
“We figured it out, got better, good fourth quarter start. So it was just them last five minutes, learning from it, just owning up to it and knowing what we have to do better. Obviously we want that game back. But it’s a seven-game series, so come out, be better, but hopefully finish next game.”
The Knicks weathered an early flurry from the Pacers and led from the middle of the second quarter all the way until Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beating, step-back, toe-on-the-line two tied the game at the end of regulation.
That’s part of what made the loss so brutal — and so frustrating. New York played sharp, controlled basketball for large stretches, but against a team as fast and relentless as Indiana, three minutes is all it takes to watch a double-digit lead vanish.
“We had a big lead — 14-point lead with 2:50 to go,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We fouled in the penalty, so we stopped the clock. We gave them open threes, we missed free throws, we gave them second shots. And that’s why no lead is safe — you have to play all 48 minutes. You’ve gotta challenge shots. You’ve gotta have awareness of what’s going on in a game.”
The Knicks know they did enough to win for most of the night. But this isn’t the regular season. This is the conference finals — and this isn’t just any opponent.
It’s an Indiana team back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. A team that wore down both the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks and the injury-riddled Cleveland Cavaliers.
And now, a team aiming to wear down New York, too.
“Obviously we got a nice lead — a good enough lead to where we should have been able to close the game out,” said Brunson. “I think it just comes down to remaining focused and keeping our heads for a full 48 minutes. You can’t let up — not against a team like that.”
The Knicks now face a challenge tougher than any X’s and O’s — tougher than transition defense or playoff pacing. It’s emotional. After collapsing late in a game they controlled, New York’s next hurdle is mental: recovering from the kind of gut-punch that can rattle a team’s foundation.
“I think that’s the playoffs. That’s the challenge. You always have to reset,” said Thibodeau. “There’s gonna be a lot of emotional highs and lows, and you’ve gotta be able to take a punch and bounce back. So that’s all we’re thinking about — how we move forward, be ready for the next challenge, and what did you learn from it?”
The Knicks can’t rewrite Game 1. But they can decide what happens next.
“Turn the page. Just gotta turn the page,” said Brunson. “We gotta obviously know what we did wrong but we gotta turn the page.”
They’ve taken Indiana’s punch. Now it’s time to see how much fight this team has in the tank.
“We’re excited to be in this situation, to be in the Eastern Conference Finals is just a blessing. We’re excited for every game,” said Bridges. “Losing that [way] and bringing that for the next game. Even if we wouldn’t have won, I think bringing the same energy for Game 2. It’s just more knowing that there’s still another game, another day left, so we have to keep fighting.”
