If you went to bed early on Wednesday night, secure in the belief that there was no way that the Knicks would blow a 14-point lead to the Pacers with under three minutes to go in Game 1 of the NBA’s eastern conference finals, well. If you’re a Knicks fans, at least you got some extra sleep. And if you’re a Pacers fan or just the kind of person who loves chaos, then you woke up to something truly wondrous.
The Pacers ended up storming back to tie Game 1 as time ran out, courtesy a slew of 3-pointers from Aaron Nesmith, and a buzzer-beating long two from Tyrese Haliburton. While Haliburton’s nod to Reggie Miller’s infamous “choke” proved ill-timed at first – Haliburton thought it was a 3-pointer that won the game, but his toe was on the line, sending the game to overtime instead – it ended up not mattering, in the sense the premature celebration didn’t come back to bite him. The Pacers won in OT, 138-135, and the series already has an unforgettable moment.
Craig Carton of FOX Sports 1’s “Breakfast Ball” didn’t turn off the TV early. He didn’t wake up to see what had happened to the Knicks. He saw everything slowly – well, okay, quickly – unravel in real time. And co-host Danny Parkins made sure that he’d have to live through all of it again the next morning when he showed up to work.
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The shirt was predictable enough for Carton to be ready with his own wearable Bears-themed disaster, but the mug? Planning ahead like that is how you win.
As for Carton, it wasn’t just recency bias that makes this Knicks’ defeat so painful. For him, a self-professed Knicks fan of over 50 years, there’s just one loss that’s ever been worse than the one New York suffered in Game 1. “I can tell you that last night is the second-worst loss I’ve ever seen in my entire life as a Knicks fan.” Carton was, of course, referring to Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals, when Patrick Ewing’s Knicks went from up 3-2 in the series to dropping both Games 6 and 7 to the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Rockets by a combined total of eight points.
“No. 1, 1994, Game 7, we call it the ‘John Starks Game.’ John Starks couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, was 0-for-11 from 3, and the Knicks lost to the Rockets by six. Chance to win a title. And then last night! When you’re up 14 points, with a couple minutes to go, when you’re up 9 points, with less than a minute to go!”
Off-camera, Parkins helpfully chimed in to say that “it’s never happened before.” Hey, it’s important to point out history when you see it. Though the Knicks would probably be happy with a little less history happening to them this series from here on out.
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