Knicks Playoff GAME NIGHT: 8:00 PM – 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Final, Game 2 – NYK (0-1) vs. IND (1-0); TNT, TruTV, MAX

It was too early for New York City to name streets after Knicks players. The pressure in the New York City cooker was far too high on Wednesday night, and Tyrese Haliburton churned our stomachs on Wednesday night. Tonight, the Knicks must win Game 2.

There was nothing pretty about it. About the way the Knicks choked in the fourth quarter of Game 1. According to the Associated Press, teams leading by 14 points in a playoff game with 2:45 remaining were 994-0 before Wednesday night.

Look at the new stat: 994-1. If you rearrange the digits, you get 1994. The year Reggie Miller torched the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. And was Miller right there, calling the game on TNT, with a front-row seat for Tyrese Haliburton’s epic game-tying shot that sent Game 1 to overtime. The basketball bounced off the back rim so high that the Knicks were certain they could celebrate, but it somehow slipped through the basket. The Madison Square Garden crowd went silent.

“In the playoffs, when you win, it’s the best thing ever,” said Knicks captain Jalen Brunson. “When you lose, it’s the worst thing ever. So, the best way to deal with all that is just to stay levelheaded and make sure we have each other’s backs.”

Indiana scored 23 points in the final 3:14 of Game 1, the most in that amount of time in NBA playoff history. The number “23” highlighted a circus full of clowns that was the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter. Despite beating the Pistons and somehow the Celtics, the Knicks’ starting five has struggled this postseason.

When Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns were on the court together in Game 1, they were outscored by 16 points with a 167.4 defensive rating. In 13 games this postseason, they have been outscored by eight points per 100 possessions when on the court together, with a 116.5 defensive rating.

Shocking.

Meanwhile, Indiana’s starting lineup has outscored opponents by 19.3 points per 100 possessions this postseason, with a 105.5 defensive rating.

Some of the defensive issues of the Knicks’ clown brigade in Game 1’s fourth quarter and bonus frame involved Josh Hart falling while defending a three-point shot by Aaron Nesmith, Mikal Bridges unsuccessfully defending Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson turning the ball over twice, and the entire team (or circus) neglecting to foul their old friend Obi Toppin with 15 seconds remaining in overtime.

“We didn’t finish the game out,” said Josh Hart. “We didn’t run through that finish line.”

“Can’t really summarize it,” said Jalen Brunson. “Give them credit. They closed the game out. Not really good on our part.”

But in 1994, the Knicks won the Reggie Miller choking series. They can win this one, too. If they communicate better and defend more consistently, then they will win Game 2. They don’t have any other choice.

Catch tonight’s game at 8 PM on TNT, TruTV, and streaming on MAX.