Reggie Miller couldn’t hide his joy as he watched his young counterpart, Ty Halliburton, shine. After Halliburton led the Pacers to a stunning 138-135 comeback victory, he mimicked Miller’s famous choke gesture against the Knicks.
Miller pointed toward Halliburton with a grin, playfully covering his mouth, as captured at the end of the TNT broadcast.
“Yeah, after finishing the post-game interview, we had a moment of locking our eyes,” Halliburton recounted. “We didn’t want to make a scene—it was pretty busy—but we often communicate. It was a special moment to share with him.”
The Knicks, having blown a 14-point lead with just under three minutes remaining, became the first team to lose a playoff game after leading by 14 points with over 2:45 left. That’s got to sting.
Halliburton raised his hand to his throat, recalling Miller’s iconic move nearly three decades earlier after a shot he thought won the game at the buzzer. Only, replay revealed his foot was on the line, sending the game into overtime instead.
This shot could have certainly shaken the Knicks—Miller had done something similar in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, pulling off his own shocking comeback.
“At that moment, I wasn’t really plotting anything,” Halliburton expressed after the game. “It just felt natural. But, had I known they’d draw comparisons, I might have reconsidered.”
Ultimately, his late jumper pushed the game into overtime, leaving many Knicks fans frustrated and disappointed. Halliburton made history that night too, becoming the first player to sink six three-pointers in a single quarter of a playoff game.
With Game 2 slated for Friday night, it promises to be a must-watch for Knicks fans. What a rivalry this is turning out to be!
