Looking back to 7 memorable Pacers Playoff comacks

A man's ceiling is the floor of another man, just like the comeback of a team, the collapse of a team. In general, it is a question of perspective.

But when it always happens in favor of a certain team, it feels like something that is worth praising instead of dividing several debt shares. The goats, the cavaliers and the Knicks all suffered in three rounds of the 2025 playoffs with the Indiana Pacers late defeats.

For Milwaukee and Cleveland, the setbacks proved to be weak. For New York, the effects of its 138-135 overtime loss, in which the Pacers from a 14-point hole are known for less than four minutes in the fourth quarter on Wednesday in Madison Square Garden Kroch-for a few more days. But people should get a look on Friday evening (8 et, tnt).

The Pacers, the “heart team” of this post -season, have a story of these games Switchoos that go back for more than 30 years. Here are your most remarkable:

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1995: semi -finals of the Eastern Conference vs. New York (game 1)

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The scene: At the series opening in Madison Square Garden on May 7, the Knicks led 18.7 seconds 105-99.

It started innocent enough: Indiana Sharpshooter Reggie Miller hit a 3 pointer from the left wing. Then he landed with the ball a moment later and dropped a hectic inbound pass in New York (the home team had no time overrun and feared it for five seconds). Miller retired to the bow and scored three more from the almost identical place to bind with 105-105.

New York's John Starks missed two free throws with 13.2 seconds, and Patrick Ewing, who received his hands into the second hands, missed 10 feet. Miller got the rebound, was fouled and beat two free throws to increase the Pacers 107-105. The Knicks never triggered a shot in their last possession, the security guard Greg Anthony stumbled with the ball.

Miller's feat was known in Hoops Shorthand as “eight points, nine seconds”. Indiana took over a 3-1 lead in the series, but needed all seven games to find ahead to fall to Orlando in the east final in seven.

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1998 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Chicago (game 4)

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The scene: After the first two games dropped, the Pacers shot back home to win game 3 and wanted to desperate the series themselves. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, they stayed at eight o'clock, then 94-93 with a 33 second lead.

The clock was chewed by some of the less kind and year old maneuvers from both sides: a bulls turnover, a Pacers miss and sales, then two bricked free throws from Scottie pipping, four seconds before the end.

From a break, Miller cut past the baseline to the 3-point line on a screen, Michael Jordan gave a solid thrust (no pipe) to the open room that rolled up on the right wing and has Derrick McKey's inbound's pass. His shot triggered Pandemonium in the Market Square Arena, but Chicago still had 0.4 seconds. Jordan's 3-point attempt struck from the glass to the edge and then circled.

Indiana would bring the “Last Dance” edition of the Bulls to seven games before it was displaced. Jordan exceeded Miller 28-22 in the final, but here was a real peculiarity: the Pacers missed 14 of their 37 free throws, while the bulls missed 17 out of 41.

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2000 first round against Milwaukee (game 5)

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The scene: When the first round was best five, the goats and the Pacers were bound 2-2 and 89-89 with 3:35 in the brackets.

Less unforgettable for a one -sided finish or a massive hole from which the Pacers were dug, it was more about the chaotic end. The game contained 19 ties, but the 13th lead change was engraved into the heads of the people.

Milwaukee had taken 94-93 when the Pacers used three missed shots, three offensive rebounds and a break to devour 34 of the last 50 seconds. After all, guard Travis best sank a 3-point with a 16 second lead. Ervin Johnson made only one of two foul shots, Jalen from Indiana made two free throws with 2 seconds and the ever famous 13 years later for a desperate 3 pointer in Miami, could not be hit by 31 feet on the horn.

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2000 Eastern Conference Finals vs. New York (game 6)

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The scene: Indiana led the East final 3-2 and played in Madison Square Garden in search of the first NBA final experience.

Technically, a “comeback” only when they rewind in the first seconds of the fourth quarter (Knicks 65-62). From there, Miller scored 17 of his 34 points to eliminate New York with the Knicks in the last game of Hall of Famer Ewing.

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2025 First round against Milwaukee (game 5)

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The scene: The Pacers won three of the first four in one series for six games. After all, the goats 118-111 had increased with less than 40 seconds in the extension by 118-111.

Andrew Nembhard bombed a 3 pointer from the front with 34 seconds and then stole Gary Trent Jr.'s ball from a trap that set up Haliburtons and 1 layup with 17 seconds, which made it 118-117. The desperate dollars loosened against the Pacers defense pressure and raised the ball to an open trent just to see how he went through his hands And Legs outside the borders. Then the inevitable drives: Haliburton with a second on the left around Giannis Antetocounmpo around the game -winning bucket.

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2025 Eastern Conference semi -finals against Cleveland (game 2)

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The scene: The Cavaliers with No. 1 had started at home, but rose by 14 points through three quarters of them and 119-112 with 57 seconds before playing.

Aaron Nesmith, who set himself against the Knicks for his heroic deeds 15 days later, burst (early?) To reverse Pascal Siakam's second free throw. Donovan Mitchell was called after an insulting foul and a Siakam driving layup was prepared after 27 seconds. After a break, Max's inbounds pass was picked up, but the Cavs seemed to be fine with a three-point lead when Haliburton went into the line, 12 seconds before walking.

Only the Pacers-Wachmann missed the second, grabbed the fighting rebound, retired to the logo, danced against Ty Jerome at the front and then started. His 3-point with 1 second left raised Indiana to his 120-119 victory, a body strike that Cleveland never recovered and fell in five games.

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2025 Eastern Conference Finale against New York (game 1)

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The scene: The Pacers have exceeded this time. These two earlier comebacks were reduced by seven points. This time they stayed twice as high, 116-102, with 3:25.

Indiana used 153 of the 205 seconds on the left and lowered the deficit to nine with 121-112 with 52 seconds before playing. The Knicks continued when they were hunted, just not enough. Nesmith, who met six 3-point counter in the last five minutes of regulation, sank two free throws to do it 124-123, and OG Anunoby missed one of two for New York.

In the last seven seconds of this fourth quarter, Haliburton had to make several immediate decisions. He penetrated the defense of the Knicks just to be confronted with the Mitchell Robinson shot blocker. He didn't like his available lanes for Myles Turner or Nesmith. So the Pacers-Wachmann resigned to a 3-point range and fired, one foot touched the line. The rear edge, the high jump and the drops counted two, not three and sent them all in OT.

The last tour of the Knicks came with 35 seconds in the additional session at 135-134. Nembhard's Layup and the second of two Dunks by Obi Toppin, a former kink in the first round, were sufficient when Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns fell wrong in the last 15 seconds.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can send him here by email His archive here And Follow him on X.

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