“Thought that was a 3”

Tyrese Haliburton thought he had won Game 1 for the Indiana Pacers against the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. The point guard drove into the lane before scurrying back to launch a 23-footer. Haliburton’s right foot stepped on the 3-point line, which resulted in a 2-point basket and overtime following a 125-125 tie.

In a courtside interview after the game, Haliburton opened up about what happened during that play.

“I was going for the 2 [points] and then Mikal [Bridges] hit the ball. I didn’t know how much time left, so I just tried to gather myself and knock the shot down. I thought it was a 3. I tried to hit the celly and it didn’t work, but we finished it in overtime.”

The Pacers’ bench erupted and ran on the court to celebrate with Tyrese Haliburton, who brought out Reggie Miller’s iconic choke celebration. After review, the referees confirmed that it was a 2-point basket, dampening the wild celebration. Miller gave the same sign in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals after scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter against the Knicks at MSG.

Once the extra five-minute period started, Haliburton buckled down to work again. With help from Andrew Nembhard, who had seven points in overtime, the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 138-135 to steal Game 1 on the road.

Tyrese Haliburton praises team for “resilience” but shows concern about Knicks’ rebounding dominance

Tyrese Haliburton expressed relief and praised his team for its “resilience” in finding “random and unique” ways to win. Still, the point guard noted how the Knicks dominated one area before wilting late in the fourth quarter.

Haliburton narrated some of his concerns despite the thrilling win.

“There’s a lot for us to improve on. I don’t know what the final rebounding number was, but they dominated us there. That’s an area where we want to be great and we weren’t good today.”

The Knicks won the rebounding battle 46-39, including 13-11 in the offensive boards, against Tyrese Haliburton and Co. In a seesaw battle, New York’s rebounding dominance could have been costly for Indiana. Haliburton vowed to do better along with his teammates in Game 2.

The Pacers will try to take a 2-0 series lead when they face the Knicks again on Friday at MSG.