The Eastern Conference Finals kicked off with a bang on Wednesday night, and the New York Knicks were the ones to feel the brunt of it. Despite leading by 14 points with 2:45 remaining in the game, the Knicks somehow managed to choke and lose to the Indiana Pacers in a heartbreaking defeat.
The loss was so humiliating that it will be remembered for years to come. The Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton even took a moment to mock the Knicks' mistake, mimicking the famous taunt made by Pacers legend Reggie Miller after Indiana stormed back against the Knicks in 1994 Eastern Conference finals. Haliburton put both hands up to his neck and pretended he was choking, a gesture that became another signature moment in the Knicks-Pacers rivalry.
Despite Haliburton's shot tying the contest, the Pacers went on to win in overtime 138-135. The next day, New York newspapers made sure to immortalize the moment, breaking out their best choking headlines on the back page. The New York Daily News took the most direct approach, simply calling it a "Collapse." The New York Post recalled Miller's gesture and called Haliburton's version of it "Choke 2.0." Newsday decided on a pun, going with "Choke's on Knicks." All three papers used the same image of Haliburton on the back page, reinforcing their iconic and often pun-heavy style.
But if there's a silver lining for the Knicks, it's that things can't get worse from here. The road ahead has to get better after Wednesday's epic collapse and Haliburton's taunt, doesn't it? With the Knicks, you can never be sure.
Following the Game 1 loss, the Knicks are off on Thursday before taking on the Pacers in Game 2 on Friday. New York will look to even the series and prove its Game 1 meltdown was nothing more than a fluke. If they can do that, they'll find back page coverage quite a bit more favorable moving forward. If not, New York newspapers are going to have one heck of a time coming up with even more puns highlighting the Knicks' failures.
The Knicks have a long history of choking in big games, but this one will be remembered as one of the worst. It's up to them to prove that it was just a fluke and that they have what it takes to come back and win in Game 2. Only time will tell if they can do it, but one thing is for sure: the Knicks-Pacers rivalry is going to be even more intense moving forward.
