Knicks Defensive Lapses Lead to Historic Collapse in Game 1 of 2025 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals

The New York Knicks faced a daunting challenge in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, and while they held a commanding lead for much of the game, they ultimately fell short in overtime, losing 132-129. The question on everyone's mind is: how did the Knicks let such a commanding lead slip away? To understand the Knicks' defensive breakdowns, it's crucial to break down the final 2:51 of regulation and the five-minute overtime session. During this time, the Pacers outscored the Knicks 33-16, and many of those points came with the Knicks' defenders too far out of position to make an impact. The comeback started when Pacers coach Rick Carlisle put the Knicks' two dodgiest defenders under the microscope, allowing Aaron Nesmith to receive a pass from Tyrese Haliburton and knock down a 3-pointer. This set the tone for the Pacers' comeback, as they continued to target the Knicks' weaknesses on defense. The Knicks' intensity and physicality seemed to wane in the final minutes of the game. Forward Josh Hart said, "The intensity, the physicality wasn’t there." The Knicks had held Indiana to 62 points on 22-for-60 shooting from the start of the second quarter through the midpoint of the fourth, but seemed content to rest on their double-digit lead. As a result, the Pacers were able to make them pay for easing up. One of the key issues was miscommunication and misrotation on defense. Mikal Bridges said, "Just relax for a second, and then you’re a step late, or maybe forget, 'Oh, I’ve got to switch here,' or 'I’ve got to rotate here.' It’s just maintaining that throughout the whole game." The Knicks' defense was not able to stay connected and rotate properly, which allowed the Pacers to get open 3-pointers and drive to the basket. The Pacers targeted the Knicks' stars repeatedly in the final minutes. Jalen Brunson missed a stepback 3 that would have pushed the lead to 16, but Haliburton sprinted up the floor and forced Brunson into action again. With Brunson out of position, Nesmith was left wide open for another catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Even when Brunson was on Haliburton, there were still two Knicks to guard three Pacers on the opposite side of the floor, which led to easy buckets for Indiana. In overtime, the Pacers continued to make the Knicks pay for not getting matched up in transition and failing to box out when a shot went up. On a critical sideline out-of-bounds play, Obi Toppin rumbled nearly unmolested to the rim for a game-sealing dunk. Hart said, "It looked like we were playing not to lose. We’ve got to make sure we don’t make that mistake again." Despite their struggles on defense, the Knicks had their moments of brilliance. Brunson scored 43 points on 15-for-25 shooting and forced Indiana to start bringing double-teams that could be ripe for exploitation. Karl-Anthony Towns also had a career playoff-high 35 points. The Knicks rebounded a whopping 42.3% of their misses and outscored Indiana by 12 points in seven minutes with their two-big lineup of Towns and Mitchell Robinson.