The New York Knicks walked off the Madison Square Garden floor stunned Wednesday night. A 14‑point cushion with 2:51 left vanished, and Indiana stole Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals 138‑135 in overtime.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau needed just a couple of minutes at the podium to summarize the carnage. “They can score the ball,” he said flatly. “Nesmith got loose, Haliburton… you just can never let your guard down against them. No lead is safe.”
New York’s defense, the backbone of its 51‑win season, cracked when it mattered most. Thibodeau faulted “air space” granted to Aaron Nesmith, whose eighth three capped Indiana’s 20‑6 finishing burst.
Turnovers compounded the problem. “The turnovers were costly,” Thibodeau admitted. “They converted them into easy buckets… that fueled their offense.”
Jalen Brunson’s foul trouble complicated every decision. Asked why he risked his star guard with four personals to start the fourth, Thibodeau replied, “Just the way the game was going—coach’s decision.”
Brunson still poured in 43 points, yet the Knicks unraveled when he briefly sat with his fifth foul. Indiana ripped off a 14‑0 run, and Thibodeau’s group never truly steadied.
Momentum swung for good after Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer‑beating jumper—ruled a two—forced overtime. “There’s disappointment when you fall short,” Thibodeau said. “You have to take disappointment and turn that into more determination.”
The veteran coach stressed rapid recovery ahead of Friday’s Game 2. “Playoffs are emotional highs and lows,” he said. “You look at the film, make your corrections, get ready.”
Film review will spotlight missed free throws (12) and a rare statistical footnote: teams up 14+ in the final 2:45 had been 994‑0 in the play‑by‑play era before Wednesday. “We’ve got to be able to count on our defense,” Thibodeau reiterated. “No excuses.”
New York’s locker‑room message mirrored its coach’s brevity—flush it and move on. Yet Game 1 revealed a blueprint opponents have tried to crack all year: speed, spacing and relentless three‑point pressure.
Whether the Knicks can close those gaps—or surrender the Garden’s home‑court edge—will define the series. For Thibodeau, the equation remains simple: “Bounce back quickly. That’s the plan, and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”
