Choke or comeback? Pacers rally late, stun Knicks in OT

Tyrese Haliburton was a bit premature after he mimicked Hall of Famer Reggie Miller’s infamous “choke” sign at Madison Square Garden.
Nevertheless, Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers teammates made certain the gesture didn’t come back to haunt them in a 138-135 victory in overtime over the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Haliburton scored 31 points and Aaron Nesmith added 30, highlighting an 8-for-9 performance from 3-point range by making five treys during the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation. That surge allowed the fourth-seeded Pacers to overcome a 14-point deficit in the final 2:39 of the fourth quarter.
“It’s unreal,” Nesmith said of his sizzling shooting.

“It’s probably the best feeling in the world for me. I love it when that basket feels like an ocean and anything you toss up, you feel like it’s going to go in.

It’s so much fun.”
Haliburton appeared to win it following a friendly carom off the rim on an apparent 3-pointer at the buzzer, only for replays to show that his toe was on the line. That made it a 2-pointer and forced overtime.
When he thought the game was over, Haliburton made the choke sign in the direction of the Knicks’ bench.
“I thought it was a 3.

I tried to hit the celly. It didn’t work.

But we finished it in overtime,” Haliburton said.
Miller famously flashed the gesture toward Knicks superfan Spike Lee while leading a Pacers comeback in a playoff game in 1994.
The third-seeded Knicks will look to bounce back in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Friday in New York.
“In the playoffs, when you win it’s the best thing ever. When you lose it’s the worst thing ever,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who finished with 43 points.
“The best way to deal with all