The Knicks haven’t made things easy this postseason, but they’ve had an incredible knack for winning in the final minutes.
Monday’s Game 1 win over the Pacers was no different, and it took a heart-stopping final 60 seconds of the fourth quarter for the Knicks to come out on top.
The Knicks trailed by five heading into the final quarter and as many as nine in the last period, but they clawed their way back, solidifying it with key plays that involved former Villanova stars Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo.
With the score 115-all and 52 seconds remaining on the clock, Brunson made an errant pass, but Aaron Nesmith was called for a controversial kicked ball violation, a call Indiana could not challenge due to NBA’s rules that limit reviews to fouls, goaltends and out-of-bounds calls.
The Knicks kept the ball, and off the ensuing inbound, Brunson got possession and dished back out to DiVincenzo, who hit a game-breaking 3-pointer to put the Knicks up by three.
After the game, crew chief Zach Zabra admitted to a pool reporter that the referees got that call wrong.
“On the floor we felt that would be a kicked ball violation. Post game review did show that it hit the defender’s hand, which would be legal,” Zabra told The Athletic’s Fred Katz.
After Pascal Siakam drained a shot to pull the Pacers within one, Brunson was initially called for turning the ball over off the inbound, but the Knicks challenged and won it after officials determined the ball hit off Andrew Nembhard’s foot.
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However, Brunson then did turn the ball over on the offensive side of the floor after he attempted to throw the ball off Indiana and get it to go out of bounds.
However, on the play, the ball knocked off Brunson, who was himself standing out of bounds.
But the Pacers, with a chance to go up, did not even get a shot off.
Myles Turner was called for an offensive foul on DiVincenzo.
And despite a challenge from head coach Rick Carlisle and the Pacers, the referees upheld the decision.
Before the Knicks could get the ball in bounds, Brunson was fouled by Nembhard, giving the Knicks a free throw and possession.
Brunson sank his first chance, and when he got two more off the next intentional foul, he buried those to seal the 121-117 win.
It was pure chaos and controversy at the end, but the Knicks survived another anxiety attack of a basketball game.
