Caitlin Clark was just as shocked as the rest of the basketball world after Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith fueled a dramatic Indiana Pacers comeback, erasing a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to stun the New York Knicks 138-135 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Nesmith knocked down six consecutive 3-pointers to chip away at what had been a 15-point Knicks lead with 4:55 left, and Haliburton sent the game to overtime with a miraculous stepback jumper at the buzzer. Though it bounced off the rim and in, it was ruled a 2-pointer.
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Even before the Pacers closed out the win in overtime, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was already celebrating her NBA counterparts.
“PACERS ARE THE GREATEST COMEBACK TEAM I’VE EVER SEEN,” she wrote.
The Pacers have embraced the underdog role throughout the playoffs, upsetting the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round and eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first.
Game 2 against the Knicks tips off Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.
He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university’s official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.
A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant’s departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.
He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson’s record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.
