NBA: Indiana Pacers overthrow Knicks and shut down Madison Square Garden

Round 1. Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals delivered an unforgettable conclusion between the victorious, hated rivals Indiana Pacers and the cursed, defeated New York Knicks in a Madison Square Garden left in disbelief by the visitors' comeback on Wednesday (138-135 after overtime).

Twenty-five years after their last appearance at this level, the Knicks thought they had made a successful start to the conference finals, holding their own early with Karl-Anthony Towns (35 points, 12 rebounds), before pulling away during the fourth quarter. But the 15-point lead with 4:48 left, which became 9 points with 58 seconds left, ended up melting under the fiery hand of Aaron Nesmith (30 points), who was devilish from distance, with three three-pointers in the final minute.

"It's unreal, it's the best feeling in the world, when the basket is like an ocean, and everything I try goes in, it's so much fun," Nesmith smiled.

Knicks fans saw in him the worthy heir to Reggie Miller, leader of the Pacers in the 1990s and tormentor of Madison Square Garden (MSG) at the time of the birth of the rivalry between the two teams.

"I was a Knicks fan in the 1990s and they were really good, then they were bad for years. And here we are 20 years later, reliving the 1990s," Kristine Gonnelly, a 40-year-old accountant from Long Island, told AFP.

But it was Tyrese Haliburton who, like Miller in 1994, entered the NBA legend, mimed a choke (or the act in the NBA of letting a success that seemed certain slip away) by scoring an improbable basket at the buzzer.

Haliburton, on a difficult step-back shot, saw the ball bounce high off the rim before dropping straight back into the basket, and thought he had given the Pacers victory at that moment. But a toe-tapping on the line made it a two-pointer (125-125) to send the two teams into a breathless 5-minute overtime, watched by the 20,000 or so spectators at MSG on their feet.

"We've played a lot of games this season where the other team seemed to have control. Nothing is ever over. This is a great win, but I honestly think we can still improve a lot," Haliburton said.

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was up to the task, scoring 43 points, including six in overtime. But Andrew Nembhard (15 points) and Obi Toppin (8 points, 10 rebounds), with a powerful tap and then an aerial dunk, allowed the visitors to pull away. "You can never let your guard down against them," said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.

The party was shaping up to be superb in the legendary Madison Square Garden arena, built for major events, where the atmosphere lived up to expectations for New Yorkers, who are very attached to this team, from the fans perched high up to the celebrities courtside, such as actor Timothée Chalamet, former star Patrick Ewing, Olympic gymnast Suni Lee and comedian and actor Larry David.

Faced with the evening's daunting scenario, the fans eventually calmed their enthusiasm, leaving the "Garden" with somber expressions. "I'm devastated. I brought my father and my brother to this game and it's really brutal, very disappointing, an incredible experience, I'm devastated," said Neal Bhushan, a 35-year-old lifelong fan living in Brooklyn.

"We waited 25 years for this, losing that first match was a robbery. I remain optimistic, but it was very difficult."

The orange and blue fans will have to rediscover the flame on Friday for the second game of the series, during which the Knicks will already be under pressure in this best-of-seven series before two games in Indianapolis.