"He got too much air space," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Nesmith after the game.

Following a stunning loss in Game 1, the Knicks fell again to the Pacers in Game 2, as New York's fourth-quarter woes continued in the 114-109 loss. The Knicks entered the second half up three, but they allowed Indiana to score 65 points in the second half split almost evenly between the two quarters.

The Knicks led by 17 points with 6:26 remaining in the fourth quarter and by nine points with under a minute left, only to lose, 138-135, in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

Teams trailing by 9 or more points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime had a combined record of 0-1,414 in the playoffs since 1998. The Knicks just became the footnote to that infamous stat, marking the first time such a lead was squandered in over a quarter-century of postseason basketball.

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.