Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks appeared to be heading towards a pretty ho-hum finish.
While the game had been tightly contested for most of the night, the Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter and had a 14-point lead with three minutes to play.
But Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith had other thoughts, going absolutely unconscious from beyond the arc to bring Indiana back into contention possession by possession. As the Knicks got nervier and nervier, a few foul shots were missed, and suddenly, the Pacers had the ball, trailing by just two points with seven seconds to play.
Despite Nesmith’s heroics, the ball went to the hands of the team’s leader, Tyrese Haliburton, who has had a knack for coming up with a big shot when the team needed it.
Haliburton drove the lane, but bailed, and ran back to the three-point line, appearing to go for the win. His shot went up, hit off the back of the rim to launch comically high in the air, and came down with a swish through the net.
Tyrese Haliburton game-tying long 2-pointer to send the game to overtime, with replays. pic.twitter.com/IxL4ffKjeP
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 22, 2025
The Pacers on the court erupted, and Haliburton immediately grabbed at his neck, recreating the iconic choke celebration that Reggie Miller demonized the Knicks with so many years ago.
Reggie choke 🤝 Tyrese choke pic.twitter.com/DChTGJDqvC
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 22, 2025
There was just one problem—the game wasn’t over yet. As replays would show, Haliburton’s foot was on the line. What he thought was a game-winner was just a shot to force overtime.
Miller was on the call for TNT, as was Stan Van Gundy, who pointed out that when Miller pulled out the celebration, it had been for the win, not the tie.
"He tried to give your choke sign to the Knicks. And the game's not over."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 22, 2025
Stan Van Gundy to Reggie Miller after Tyrese Haliburton's game-tying buzzer beater, sending the Pacers and Knicks to overtime.
Replay confirmed that Haliburton's foot was on the line. pic.twitter.com/5vzCk5gk48
Luckily for Haliburton, he and the Pacers were able to avoid disaster. After an extremely tense overtime period, Indiana was able to pull out the win.
Haliburton was right—the Knicks choked. He just called it a bit early.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Pulled Out Reggie Miller’s Choke Celebration a Bit Too Early.
