It was one of those electric nights at Madison Square Garden. History and the present collided in the best way. The crowd buzzed, and the lights shone extra bright. Right in the middle of it all, Karl-Anthony Towns was busy carving his name into Knicks lore.

Carmelo Anthony watched from the front row. Fresh off his Hall of Fame induction, he was witnessing something special. Towns put on a show, dropping 35 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He was the first Knicks player to do that in a playoff game since Melo did it back in 2011.

As Ramona Shelburne put it perfectly on Twitter, “Karl-Anthony Towns is the 1st Knicks player with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Carmelo Anthony in 2011 vs the Celtics.” Sure, it’s just a stat on paper, but for Knicks fans, it means so much more. The torch wasn’t just passed quietly—it was slammed down emphatically, and MSG erupted in approval.

Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t just playing for himself—he’s proudly representing New York’s Dominican community, dedicating this whole playoff run to them. This night was about way more than just stats. With the Knicks making the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, Towns’s performance carries serious weight. It’s a sign the franchise is back, and it links two important chapters—Melo’s glory days and now Towns stepping up as the new face of the team.

But as much as Towns gave Knicks fans a night to remember, the ending hit hard—too familiar for MSG faithful. The ghosts of past heartbreaks were there, as the Pacers pulled off a dramatic comeback that left everyone stunned.

Karl-Anthony Towns Starred, Yet MSG Still Stings

The Knicks left MSG stunned, but there’s still a bright spot in all that chaos. This was the same court where Reggie Miller once broke Knicks fans’ hearts, and now Tyrese Haliburton added his own late-game dagger for the Pacers.

New York looked locked in for most of the night. In their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 23 years, the Knicks were cruising with a 17-point lead late in the fourth. Jalen Brunson was cooking with 43 points, and Josh Hart was putting in work with a solid 8-13-7 stat line. It looked like a big W was coming. Then, things fell apart.

Aaron Nesmith went absolutely crazy from deep — hitting five threes in the final minutes and dropping 30 total. Suddenly, the Pacers were right back in the fight. Haliburton iced the comeback with a buzzer-beater to force OT, even though his foot was on the line. Still, the momentum was all Indiana’s. They took the extra period 13-10 and shocked the Garden, 138-135.

For Knicks fans, it felt like history was repeating itself in the worst way. The memories of Reggie Miller’s legendary fourth-quarter explosion in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals—where he dropped 25 points—and then the iconic “eight points in nine seconds” comeback in 1995 at Madison Square Garden came flooding back. Especially since Miller was courtside and Haliburton threw up that infamous “choke” sign after his shot. That moment really stings.

So, where did it all go wrong? The Knicks defense folded when it mattered most — missed switches, turnovers (15), and missed free throws (28-for-40) gave the Pacers too many second chances. Offensively, New York stalled, and the team looked tight under pressure.

But if there’s one thing Knicks fans know, it’s that the team can bounce back from tough losses. Now, it’s about locking down on defense, protecting the rock, and keeping their cool down the stretch. If the bench can step up and the starters execute cleaner, the Knicks still have a shot to flip this series. And believe me, they’ll need to.