Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton continued his clutch theatrics during Wednesday’s Game 1 Eastern Conference finals road clash against the New York Knicks.
After falling behind by 17 points midway through the fourth quarter, Indiana appeared to be down and out. However, a late-game 3-point flurry from forward Aaron Nesmith helped the Pacers mount a furious comeback.
With New York leading 124-123 with 7.3 seconds remaining, forward OG Anunoby headed to the free-throw line with a chance to put his squad up by three points. However, he split the pair of free throws, setting the stage for Haliburton to force overtime.
Tyrese Haliburton Bursts Into Reggie Miller’s Iconic Celebration
Following Anunoby’s made free throw, Haliburton pushed the ball up the court toward Knicks wing Mikal Bridges. After nearly losing control of the ball inside the arc, he retreated out near the 3-point line for a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer. The two-time All-Star’s shot bounced high off the back iron before finding its way in to tie the game at 125-125.
TYRESE HALIBURTON BUZZER BEATER FORCES OT 🤯🤯🤯
AND HE DID THE CHOKE SIGN TO THE KNICKS!!! pic.twitter.com/0jufr6naNl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)
Thinking his shot was a game-winning triple, Haliburton celebrated by doing Pacers legend Reggie Miller’s iconic choke sign. Miller famously busted out the taunt toward New York superfan Spike Lee while scoring 25 of his game-high 39 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the 1994 East finals. The Pacers came back to win that game 93-86 at Madison Square Garden to take a 3-2 series lead.
25 points in one quarter.😮💨
on this day in 1994, Reggie Miller scored 25 of his playoff career-high 39 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/K4ZSKapnFA
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers)
Miller was in attendance for Wednesday’s contest, working as a TNT commentator. He appeared shocked and amused by Haliburton’s late-game heroics. The fifth-year player’s Miller-esque celebration promptly went viral on social media, with many drawing parallels between him and the Hall of Famer.
Tyrese Haliburton. Game over. pic.twitter.com/VikCZeTGWr
— HaliMuse (@hali_muse)
Indiana Stuns New York in OT, Following Haliburton’s Game-Saving Shot
In overtime, the Pacers outscored the Knicks 13-10 to prevail 138-135 and take a 1-0 series lead. They were led by combo guard Andrew Nembhard’s team-high seven points in the extra period. New York stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each missed game-tying 3-point attempts in the final seconds, adding to the lore of Haliburton’s buzzer-beater.
After the contest, Haliburton, who finished with 31 points and 11 assists, acknowledged that he thought his shot won the game, expressing relief that his team emerged victorious.
“I was going for the 2, and then Mikal hit the ball, and I didn’t know how much time was left, so I just tried to gather myself and knock the shot down,” Haliburton said. “I thought it was a 3. I tried to hit the celly, and it didn’t work, but we finished it in overtime.”
Haliburton also quipped that he had long been planning to mimic Miller’s choke-sign celebration.
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“Everybody’s been wanting me to do it. I was gonna hold it for the right time that felt appropriate, and then it went to overtime, so we’ll have to save it for later,” Haliburton said.
Game 2 takes place on Friday at the Garden, where the Pacers will look to take an unexpected 2-0 series advantage.
