The Indiana Pacers produced a comeback for the ages, with Aaron Nesmith in the middle of it. Of course, Tyrese Haliburton gets all the plaudits for his game-tying two-point shot, but the Pacers stepped up when it mattered, and the New York Knicks couldn’t handle Nesmith’s offensive clinic.
He scored 30 points and had six three-pointers in the fourth quarter, with some outrageous shooting on the floor when the Pacers looked like they would hit the showers. He clawed them back to the game, and fans pointed out shades of Tracy McGrady against the San Antonio Spurs.
Does 13 points in 35 seconds ring a bell? Fans compared Nesmith’s performance to McGrady’s humdinger for the Houston Rockets.
Fans Laud Aaron Nesmith for Snatching Victory From the Jaws of Defeat
Notably, Nesmith scored 9 points in 28 seconds, hitting three consecutive three-pointers to help the Pacers. In 2004, McGrady did the same by hitting 13 points, which had four straight three-pointers, including one four-point play, to get the Rockets back to win their game against the Spurs. In the same vein, fans compared Nesmith to McGrady following this performance.
The user commented, “Bro turned into Tracy McGrady in the 4th,” highlighting his incredible performance in the fourth quarter. Nesmith scored 20 points and shot 6-7 three-pointers. Those are scary numbers for a player who had just 10 points until the fourth quarter.
Bro turned into Tracy McGrady in the 4th
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) May 22, 2025
Fans came to criticize Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau for not putting a defender on him, as one user mentioned, “And Thibs refused to put a body on him.” Most of his three-point shots were open and from an extended range. At first glance, it didn’t look like a concern. But that’s the NBA. You can’t take anything for granted, and the Knicks drowned in their complacency.
Another user posted, “Tracy, Reggie, MJ all in one,” comparing Nesmith to all these basketball legends. All these iconic players mentioned provide glorious clutch moments. As discussed earlier, McGrady thumped the Spurs, and Reggie Miller was another player who stole the spotlight.
On more than one occasion, Miller drained some crucial three-pointers and had 8 points in 9 seconds to knock down the Knicks. And Michael Jordan needs no introduction.
Similarly, one fan mentioned, “Bro turned into 2015 Curry,” as he compared Nesmith to Stephen Curry. In the 2015 season, Curry had a historic campaign and won his second MVP award. He scored 402 three-pointers at a 3P% of 45.4%, dismantling most teams in the league. Nobody could shut him down, and he dominated the floor throughout the season.
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“He walked down the Knicks at the Garden … impressive AF shooting,” commented another user as Nesmith ended the game with a FG% of 69.2. One user compared him to “Baby Kawhi Leonard” for coming out big in the game. Leonard often became a top clutch player in his career and helped the Toronto Raptors win a title in 2019.
Therefore, Nesmith’s clutch shots were crucial for the Pacers, who took a 1-0 lead into Game 2. The NBA playoffs have been sensational to date, and we will get a repeat of Game 1 in the next matchup.
