Knicks fans were ready to celebrate a certain Game 1 win. Then there was an inexplicable and painful loss as the party turned into a wake.

In the final minute of overtime, an Obi Toppin follow-up dunk and nifty pass from Haliburton to a cutting Andew Nembhard gave the Pacers the spark they needed to withstand two late three-point attempts from New York stars Jalen Brunson (43 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (35 points), which would have tied the game.

The sudden silence among Knicks fans spoke volumes. As the Indiana Pacers celebrated Tyrese Haliburton’s stepback buzzer beater in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, a sellout Madison Square Garden hushed in disbelief.

As we've seen this season and in the playoffs, the Knicks too often require a kick in the behind when they struggle against the top teams.

The New York Knicks lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Indiana Pacers in stunning fashion on Wednesday night and made some brutal NBA history in the process. The Knicks led by 14 points with with 2:45 to play in the fourth quarter but then watched it all slip away before losing,

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, things looked like a wrap for the New York Knicks. They went on a fourth-quarter run to take a commanding 17-point lead and led 119-105 with 2:51 remaining.

After holding a commanding lead late into the fourth quarter, the Knicks suffered an unprecedented collapse in Game 1 vs. the Pacers.

After three so-so seasons in New York stuck behind since-traded All-Star power forward Julius Randle, he was dealt to Indiana in 2023 for two future second-round picks.

The Indiana Pacers star sent Wednesday's Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 to overtime with another sensational buzzer-beater that capped a stunning New York Knicks collapse in the fourth quarter. It led to a 138-135 Pacers overtime win to steal a 1-0 lead in front of a stunned Madison Square Garden crowd.