Knicks' Tom Thibodeau Says 'No Lead is Safe' Against Pacers After Wild Game 1 Comeback

The New York Knicks had Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the bag. Until they didn't.

In front of a stunned Madison Square Garden crowd, the Indiana Pacers overcame a 14-point deficit with just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining to force overtime before outlasting the Knicks in the extra session, winning 138-135.

"They can score the ball. Aaron Nesmith got loose," New York head coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged after the loss. "Tyrese Haliburton hit big shots. You just can never let your guard down against them. No lead is safe."

Nesmith indeed went full Reggie Miller in the fourth quarter, hitting six threes.

Haliburton hit a fadeaway jumper as time expired, his foot just on the three-point line, to force overtime. And, per usual, he was awesome throughout.

The Pacers scored an incredible 20 points in the final two minutes and 39 seconds in regulation. And Andrew Nembhard took over in the extra session, pacing Indiana with seven points.

With the game in the balance, somebody from the Pacers just seemed to always make a play. It was a choke job from the Knicks, there's no two ways about that, but the Pacers ratcheted up the pressure to immense levels.

At this point, comebacks just seem to be in the collective DNA of these Pacers.

"It's a muscle—the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets," head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters regarding his team's ability to erase big deficits.

This series is far from over, of course, but the Pacers stealing home-court advantage from the Knicks with an epic comeback win in Game 1 is a major morale blow. Knicks' fans have seen some heartbreaking losses in franchise history, but this one might have taken the cake.

Indiana stole one on Wednesday. The Knicks can't let it happen again, or this will be a quick series.