Shortly after tip-off on Thursday night, New Yorkers swarmed the streets around Madison Square Garden for a perfect glimpse of night falling.
They call it Manhattanhenge and it occurs every now and then, when the sun dips exactly in line with the island’s grid system. It’s a rare treat. And, before long, the eyes of this city were trained on TVs, where they hoped to catch the start of another miracle.
They got their wish. One down, two more to go? With this 111-94 win, the Knicks are still alive and the sun won’t set on their season for another few days at least. The Pacers lead the Eastern Conference Finals 3-2 heading to Indiana for Game 6. They couldn’t, could they?
History says no: teams leading 3-1 in the NBA playoffs have gone on to win 283 of 296 series. But this performance proves that New York won’t surrender without a scrap.
They led from the gun and they suffocated Indiana for much of Game 5. Jalen Brunson was phenomenal; Tyrese Haliburton was anonymous. Only a couple of days ago, the Pacers guard sunk the Knicks with one of the finest playoff performances of all time. Here, he was a spectator for much of the evening.
Haliburton finished with eight points, while Brunson led the way with a haul of 32. And so New Yorkers still hold faint hopes of enjoying a first NBA Finals since 1999. Faint hopes that after Manhattanhenge, Thunder will soon roll into town.
Jalen Brunson racked up 32 points as the Knicks kept their NBA Finals hopes alive
Timothee Chalamet celebrates with Spike Lee during the first quarter of Thursday’s win
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton endured a miserable evening, scoring just eight points at MSG
Precious Achiuwa celebrates with his teammates during the Knicks’ crucial win in Game 5
How Ben Stiller, Timothee Chalamet and Spike Lee enjoyed themselves as they conducted – and occasionally refereed – this game from celebrity row. How prophetic Rick Carlisle proved to be.
The Pacers coach didn’t say much in his final press conference but he did make one thing clear. It was about reaching this point and the challenge of taking that final step forward.
‘It’s never not the hardest game,’ Carlisle said. And to navigate this one, Indiana had to silence 19,000 ‘sons of b****es’.
At least that’s how Pat McAfee described Stiller, Chalamet, Lee and the other Knicks fans who travelled to Indianapolis for Game 4.
McAfee didn’t make it MSG for this one, funnily enough. Not that these New Yorkers needed any more fuel. Not when their team is teetering on the precipice.
The Pacers had already won here twice this month and only 13 teams in NBA playoff history have come back from 3-1 down.
But this series has been built on spurned leads. The Knicks were up by 17 in Game 1, only to blow it. Then they trailed by 10 before nearly rescuing Game 2. In Game 3, the Pacers saw a 20-point advantage evaporate.
Incredibly, after all the drama and all the shifting sands, only 11 points separated these teams over those first four games. So Tom Thibodeau needed his players to be sharp from the off. Shaper, certainly, than the fan who appeared on the pre-game ‘Oblivious Cam’ and took three long minutes to glance at the jumbotron.
The Knicks arrived at the Garden knowing they needed to win to keep the series alive
Haliburton, who tormented the Knicks in Game 4, was anonymous for long periods of the game
Lee watches on from the front row as Haliburton takes a shot at Madison Square Garden
They were. The Knicks made all the early running and Brunson, in particular, raced out of the blocks. He racked up 12 points, two rebounds and two assists as the Knicks led 23-13 inside eight minutes. It was their best start all series.
As for Indiana? Their struggles were typified by Haliburton. He scored 20 points in the first half of Game 4. Here, he managed just four – all from the free-throw line.
By half-time, the Knicks led by 11 and, Karl-Anthony Towns – who had been nursing a knee injury – had amassed 17 points and 10 rebounds.
A few minutes later, it was Mitchell Robinson who had the Garden on its feet with a couple of huge defensive plays and a layup. The Knicks’ lead was 20 midway through the third quarter; the Pacers were a shambles.
A costly foul then forced Towns out of the game before Indiana began to claw its way back into view. But credit the Knicks, their bench helped re-establish a 17-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
This place knew better than to look too far ahead. The burns are still sore from Game 1 and the prize for the Pacers was a first NBA Finals in 25 years. Soon the lead had been cut to 12. For once, though, there would be no late drama. This time, fear was replaced by hope and an unmistakable chant: ‘Knicks in seven’
