Despite their underdog mindset, the Indiana Pacers have thrived in clutch moments this postseason, performing like true champions when the stakes are highest.
Before their 106-100 loss to the Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — where they squandered a 20-point lead — Rick Carlisle’s squad was a perfect 7-0 in clutch-time games during these playoffs.
“Poor job closing the third quarter,” Carlisle told reporters after Game 3. “And not a good enough start to the fourth quarter. It turned into a real back-and-forth game and [the Knicks] executed down the stretch and we didn’t execute well enough.
The Pacers posted a 24-14 record in clutch-time games during the 2024-25 regular season (63.2%), ranking fourth in the NBA behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (66.7%), Cleveland Cavaliers (68.4%) and Boston Celtics (68.6%).
Meanwhile, the Knicks are 7-4 in clutch-time games in these playoffs (63.6%) and went 19-12 in such games during the regular season (61.3%), ranking fifth in the league behind the Pacers.
Both teams have displayed remarkable resilience in these playoffs. The Knicks are the first NBA team to stage three 20-point comeback victories in a single postseason, and the Pacers have yet to lose consecutive games this postseason.
“Give them credit,” Carlisle said. “We have to do better.”
After losing Game 3 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, the Pacers responded with four straight wins to eliminate Milwaukee in five games, then took a 2-0 lead over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Cavaliers dominated Indiana in Game 3, but the Pacers rallied to win Games 4 and 5, securing another gentleman’s sweep.
“It’s just one game at the end of the day,” Pascal Siakam told reporters after Game 3. “For almost half of the game we played really good defense, we played really good basketball, and the other half we didn’t. So, we just have to go back to that and figure out what went wrong and just go right back at it. It’s one game and on to the next one.”
Recent trends by both teams indicate the Pacers are poised to take a 3-1 lead over the Knicks in Game 4 Tuesday night in Indianapolis. They’re looking to move to 5-0 coming off a loss in these playoffs.
“You have to focus on the result because [the series] is 2-1and [Game 3] was a game we felt like we were in position to win and didn’t do a good job in the second half,” Tyrese Haliburton told reporters after Game 3. “But it’s always a process. That’s what it always is, where can we get better? Offensively, we feel like we’ve had a great series thus far… And defensively, if you hold a team like that to 106 [points], you should win that game.”
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