Tyrese Haliburton let the clock run out, and found himself trapped by the Knicks' two-man take. There are then less than five seconds left on the possession and the leader passes the hot potato to Andrew Nembhard.
Facing Jalen Brunson, the sophomore was forced to send a prayer at the very end of the possession. And it fits!
“I can’t even say it’s from training” the hero of the day has funclumsy the rest of the match (2/8 shooting), which offers a decisive three points lead to his team (109-106) with 16.4 seconds remaining. “It was just something that was decided in the moment. »
An inspiration which perhaps saved the Pacers in this series, and therefore their season…
“I put Drew in a bad situation and he just made an incredible shot”
“When I got the ball, I didn't realize how much time was left (on the possession). Ty (Haliburton) said something about watching and I finally saw there was like two seconds left. I knew I was going to have to trigger something so I created a little space and had to draw. »
For Tom Thibodeau, his men's defense was almost perfect. The two-hander was thus made at the right time, to prevent Tyrese Haliburton from generating something, and to embarrass the Pacers.
“I put Drew in a bad situation and he just made an incredible shot” confirmed the All-Star point guard, who could hold his head after the shot. “He rose to the occasion when we needed him most. »
