How Reggie Miller responded to Tyrese Haliburton’s late-game heroics vs
All Reggie Miller might do was laugh.
As Madison Square Garden descended into disbelief after Tyrese Haliburton’s game-tying buzzer beater in Video game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Miller broke the silence on the TNT broadcast with an extended chuckle.
Thinking he had actually won Wednesday night’s game, Haliburton unleashed the “choke” ridicule made popular by Miller in the very same round and in the exact same constructing some 31 years back.
A video evaluation revealed Haliburton’s right toe was on the 3-point line, making his shot a 2-pointer, but his Indiana Pacers beat the Knicks in overtime, 138-135.
“It felt right at the time,” Haliburton stated of his Miller-inspired event. “If I had actually known it was a 2, I would not have actually done it. I might have lost it. If I do it again, people may state I’m aura-farming. I do not plan on utilizing it again.”
Miller directed his initial “choke” indication toward Knicks superfan Spike Lee throughout Video Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. That night, Miller scored 25 second-half points to fuel a Pacers return win.
In this combo of file pictures, Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller, left, makes a choking gesture throughout Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference last versus the New York Knicks on June 1, 1994, in New york city. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) makes a choke motion towards the New york city Knicks after striking a shot at the end of the 4th quarter of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference last, Wednesday, Might 21, 2025, in New york city. (Paul Bereswill/Newsday through AP, left, and AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) On Wednesday, the Pacers trailed by 17 points with 6:26 staying in policy; by 14 points with 2:51 to go; and by nine points
with 58.1 seconds left. Indiana ended regulation on a 20-6 run in the last 2:39. As soon as the Pacers rounded off the win in overtime, Haliburton saw Miller, who provided him a point from the broadcast table.” After I did my postgame interview, we locked eyes and had a little minute,”Haliburton stated. “I didn’t want to review there since it’s undoubtedly quite chaotic there, however we communicate pretty frequently. Certainly a special time, and truly cool he remained in the structure for that.”
Miller emerged as the ultimate New York sports villain during his Pacers’ six playoff series versus the Knicks from 1993-2000, which the groups split, 3-3.
Other well-known minutes from the rivalry consist of John Starks headbutting a trash-talking Miller in Video game 3 of their first-round series in 1993, and Miller scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds late in Video game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals to clinch a resurgence success.
“It’s our job to make history,” said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, a New Jersey native. “We’re not here to duplicate history. We’re here to make history.”
Haliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists, while Aaron Nesmith scored 30 points, consisting of 20 in the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Asked about his celebration, Haliburton stated it was essential for his Pacers group to construct its own history “while likewise lionizing and love to the ones who came before us.”
“I have actually seen that ‘Winning Time’ doc most likely 50 times growing up, so I understand that they didn’t win the [1994] series,” Haliburton said. “Would not like to duplicate that.”