The Knicks’ history of Game 7 games at home has been largely a success.
The Knicks suffered a blowout loss to the Pacers in Game 6 in Indiana, forcing a Game 7 and a protracted deciding game to face the top-seeded Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks are 5-2 in Game 7 history on their home court, which is encouraging for the No. 2 seed who returns to Madison Square Garden for Sunday’s game.
But only three of the Knicks’ Game 7s in New York have come since 1974.
The Knicks’ most recent home Game 7 was a 97-95 loss to the Pacers in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinal round.
The entire 1995 series also played out differently, right down to the final game.
The Knicks suffered a memorable Game 1 loss at the Garden, which was the infamous day when Reggie Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds.
After that, the Pacers defended their home court and won the series 3-1, giving them a chance to shut out MSG in Game 5.
Patrick Ewing’s game-winner prevented elimination and tied the series with a 92-82 victory in Indy.
Then, in the final seconds of the series, Ewing botched the infamous “finger roll” and the Knicks bounced back, losing the series 4-3.
This was the Knicks’ only home loss in Game 7 since 1971, when they lost in the Finals to the Baltimore Bullets.
The year before this drama, the Knicks and Pacers also faced off in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at MSG, with New York winning and advancing to the NBA Finals.
The 1994 win over the Pacers came after the Knicks also defeated the Bulls in Game 7 at home in the second round.
