Knicks-Pacers: 5 snack bars from Indiana's breathtaking comeback in game 1

New York – The Indiana Pacers do not play in relation to their style of play or the way they win.

Her victory in the first game of the final of the Eastern Conference was much more than unconventional. It was one of the craziest playoff games that Madison Square Garden has ever seen, a overtime thriller of 138-135 to achieve the New York Knicks, in which Indiana was up to 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Aaron Nesmith pulled the Pacers back and drained six 3 points in the last five minutes of regulation. The Knicks missed two great free throws. Tyrese Haliburton sent the game with a Summer Theater, who bounced up the heel of the edge before fell through the net. And Andrew Nembhard made some big games in the additional time.

A wonderful victory for the Pacers. A heartbreaker for the Knicks who had their share of miraculous comebacks against Boston in the last round.

Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and films, since the Pacers in clutch games in the playoffs improved to 7: 0.

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1. Nesmith catches the fire

The offensive of the Pacers is about ball and player movements, where everyone has the opportunity to get buckets. In the first two rounds, all five of their starters had an average of 14.6 and 18.8 points per game.

But when Indiana came back in the fourth quarter of 17 points on Wednesday with a little more than six minutes, the offensive was not so egalitarian. The Pacers scored astonishing 31 points in their last 13 regulatory conditions, and Nesmith made 20 of the 31s.

The first 3 came into an action with the Pacers Jalen Brunson. Brunson handled Nesmith's screen for Haliburton and then caught in Thomas Bryant's Flare screen. Karl-Anthony Towns (Bryant's defender) hung back on the Freiawurflinie, and Nesmith got a clean view of the top of the arch:

The cities slowly reacted to the next, a pull-up from the left wing of an Obi-Toppin screen.

After a Haliburton 3 had received the Pacers within 11 years, the Pacers used Brunson again. Ben Sheppard set a screen for Haliburton, which Brunson assured, help had to come when Sheppard rolled into the color, and Nesmith was left alone on the weak side:

Now he rolled. And now he was shot. Another pull -up before the OG was able to switch off anunoby, and the Pacers were six less than less than a minute before the end. After a cities -apparently installed the leaf, Siakam Nesmith provided Nesmith with a handover and again Anunoby was a bit too slow to contest it.

“Every shot he made,” said Haliburton, “gave us more and more confidence that we could really win this game.”

Still five with less than 30 seconds, the Pacers needed more. And they got it when Nesmith drove a PIN down and drove up hard over a helpless Josh. Two-point game with 22.1 seconds.

The Knicks made their part by giving two free throws and Haliburton met the bold stopback to connect the game in the buzzer. But Nesmith's ridiculous shootout is what should stand out the most from this crazy game.

Nesmith ended his career (regular season or playoffs) with 30 points and combined. His eight 3 points (with nine attempts) were most he ever done. And he did that when he dealt with the toughest order at the other end of the floor.

“To do what he did today,” said Haliburton, “while he also has to protect Jalen Brunson for 30 minutes. What Aaron Nesmith did today cannot be spoken enough.”

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2. Pacers' ridiculously efficient coupling offense

The playoffs are funny because they are high inserts, but small example sizes. For six months, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics were the two best teams in the Eastern Conference with a big lead, and here is not here in the conference final.

Nesmith is a 38% 3-point shooter, but it is now 35-to-65 (54%) in the playoffs, and the Pacers won game 1 because it was 6-on 6 in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. On average, a 38%shooter should make two out of six shots, and if Nesmith does that, the kinks in this series have risen 1-0.

When the Pacers reach the final, it is because they shot ridically well on a small number of possessions. They are now 6-0 in playoff games, which were within five points in the last five minutes after they had a surprise 69 points with 43 offensive owners from 43 couplings, a rate of 1.6 points per property.

This is certainly not sustainable over a heavier sample size, and the Pacers certainly no longer want to have 17-point deficits in the fourth quarter. But this was the only miracle they needed in this series.

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3. Did the Knicks take off?

While some of the offensive numbers are not sustainable, it is not to deny that the Pacers have a great criminal offense. They are a pain in the butt to protect 48 minutes, and even harder for 53.

And maybe the Knicks have lost this game with their strong confidence in their five starters because they were worn out in the last few minutes.

Nesmith was able to shoot a few of these 3 Series because the Knicks only slowly switched off when he came from a screen. And then the greatest defender came with the Knicks in extra time.

The Pacers switched Brunson to Haliburton. The Pacers point guard tried to take his counterpart from the dribble, but he didn't have to because Andrew Nembhard was wide open on a cut to the basket:

Nembhard was not freed from a screen, and the Knicks had not carried out a double team in Haliburton. But hard was simply caught with the ball when Nembhard slipped to the edge for a layup, which put the Pacers on a place with 26.7 seconds in OT.

Basketball 101. See the ball And Your husband.

The last lead of the game of the game did not slip with a spectacular game of her opponent, but with a mental mistake, perhaps to fatigue.

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4. Knicks waste another spectacular performance by Brunson

Statistically speaking, this was the worst defense game of the Pacers of the Playoffs, mainly because of Brunson.

The Knicks point Guard scored from the field on 15-against-25 games of 43 points from the field and 12-to-14. And that was with Nesmith, who worked his way off to stay on Brunson through a variety of ball screens.

Brunson caused a lot of damage to other defenders than he got the opportunity to do so. And he has done almost all of his damage in the bow. He only shot 1: 6 from the 3-point range, but was 14: 19 with 2-point shots and forced itself into the color from every perspective.

According to the Second Spectrum Tracking, Brunson shot Nesmith 6-to-8, with the last bucket coming shortly before Hart's defense failure. After lifting Hart's offer of a screen, he shook Nesmith absolutely with a jump to his right and then cut Haliburton's help for one of his simplest buckets of the night:

Brunson seemed to familiarize himself with that in front of him. Nesmith, Nembhard, Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin. It didn't matter. The Pacers have led a few double teams to him, but probably don't want to do much of it in the future. Maybe they just hope that at some point he will miss a few shots.

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5. Carlisle wins two major challenges

Two years ago, the Knicks carried out a summer study on the incumbent challenges. They found out which calls are most likely to be lifted and when the best time to challenge them.

But that night the Pacers were the team that used the rule.

The first challenge of the Knicks – an insulting foul on Brunson at the beginning of the third quarter – was rejected, so that they were without challenges for the last 26 minutes.

The Pacers held on both of them until the last minute of the fourth quarter, and that helped them win the game.

The Knicks were still five with 34 seconds before the fourth and the defense of the Pacers were messed up when the ball went to Brunson. But Anunoby fumbled Brunson's passport, and when he tried to regain the ball, Pascal Siakam also got his hand on it.

The piece was initially referred to as a foul on Siakam, but Carlisle challenged the call. It was overturned and gave the Pacers the ball. Nesmith then hit his last 3 pointer over the following possession and pulled Indiana within two.

Because the challenge was successful, the Pacers had another. And they used it to overthrow another call that did not go their way.

After Nembhard's layup for the tour in the extension, Hart set an off-ball screen for Brunson on the left side of the floor. Nembhard was hit by the screen, but still managed to overthrow and bring his hand to Brunson on Anunobys Pass:

The first call was Knick's ball, but Nembhard called for an assessment. Carlisle undertook, the call was lifted and the Pacers got the ball back.

Two high -quality calls. Two challenges. Two reversals. Win Pacers.

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John Schuhmann is a high -ranking statistical analyst at NBA.com. You can send him an email Herefind His archive here And Follow him on X.

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