Caitlin Clark labels Pacers the 'greatest comeback team' after scintillating 17-point comeback
Caitlin Clark was just as impressed as the rest of the basketball world after Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith fueled a dramatic Indiana Pacers comeback in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday. The Pacers erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to stun the New York Knicks 138-135 in overtime.
Nesmith knocked down six consecutive 3-pointers to chip away at what was a 15-point Knicks lead with 4:55 left. Haliburton sent the game to overtime with a miraculous step-back jumper at the buzzer. Though it bounced off the rim and in, it was ruled a 2-pointer.
Even before the Pacers closed out the win in overtime, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was 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.
Insane stat shows how Pacers' playoff run embodies clutch DNA
The Indiana Pacers have embraced the role of comeback artists, clawing back from deficits in each round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic highlighted a stunning stat: since the 1997-98 season, teams trailing by seven or more in the final minute of regulation or overtime have won just four times in 1,644 games.
Three of those improbable victories belong to the Pacers, and all have come during this postseason run.
In Wednesday’s Game 1, the Knicks led by 17 points with 6:26 remaining after a Karl-Anthony Towns 3-pointer. Aaron Nembhard and Pascal Siakam responded with back-to-back jumpers to spark the rally, setting the stage for Aaron Nesmith’s scoring barrage.
Nesmith hit six consecutive threes to slash the deficit to 123-121 with just 23 seconds to play. After Towns split a pair of free throws, Nesmith calmly knocked down both of his.
The Pacers then fouled OG Anunoby with seven seconds left. He made one of two. Indiana then pushed the pace, and Tyrese Haliburton buried a step-back jumper to send the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, the Pacers edged the Knicks 13-10 to complete yet another thrilling comeback.