It was loud, it was dramatic, and it was so New York. Madison Square Garden brought the full Broadway energy for Game 1, but by the final buzzer, it was Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers center stage—and not in a musical. They’d just stunned the Knicks in overtime, stealing one on the road and sending Knicks fans into a very silent intermission.

Tyrese Haliburton was busy handing out flowers to the people upstairs. When asked what fuels the Pacers’ late-game heroics, he didn’t point to X’s and O’s—he pointed to roster stability.

“The front office’s decision to keep basically our whole team together after last year—I think that was really big,” Haliburton said. “We’ve been through everything together. Big losing skids, big winning runs… we’ve had to win in so many different ways.”

The Pacers kept eight of their top nine rotation players from last season. That smart move has paid off big time. This group has faced long losing streaks, big wins, and clutch moments. They’ve learned how to handle pressure well.

Game 1 at Madison Square Garden showed that stability. Indiana erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit. They outscored New York 23-9 in the final 2:45 of regulation. Aaron Nesmith set a franchise playoff record with eight threes and scored 30 points. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists. Late in regulation, Haliburton hit a huge three. Then he turned to the Garden crowd with the “choke” sign—a clear nod to one of the most iconic moments in NBA playoff history.

“I’ve seen that Winning Time doc probably like 50 times,” he laughed. “I know they didn’t win the series, so I would not like to repeat that.” For those who might not know, this gesture goes back to the legendary 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals. It was between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks—immortalized in ESPN’s Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks.

The documentary shows the fiery rivalry and Reggie Miller’s unforgettable Game 5 explosion. He scored eight points in nine seconds and taunted Knicks superfan Spike Lee with the “choke” gesture at MSG. Though the Pacers lost the series back in 1994. It was a nod to history, sure—but this is a different Pacers team, and a different moment. And as soon as the final buzzer sounded, reality set back in.

Tyrese Haliburton was fired up, Rick Carlisle made sure the Pacers weren’t

While Tyrese Haliburton is the emotional center of the locker room, it was head coach Rick Carlisle who made sure no one got too high after Game 1. The 64-year-old coach walked into the locker room post-game and didn’t bother sugarcoating the situation.

“This is day one of 13 days,” he said, referring to the potential length of a seven-game series stretched across two weeks.

Carlisle has seen too many playoff series swing on momentum—or the loss of it. His words were steady and direct, focused on what’s coming next, not what just happened. He applauded the team’s toughness and their ability to force overtime, but he also pointed out the obvious: “We’ve got things to clean up, they’ve got things to clean up. Game 2 is going to be another war.”

That message landed exactly how it needed to. No post-game partying. No victory laps. The Pacers understand that Madison Square Garden will be even louder in Game 2, and that the Knicks—one of the league’s most resilient squads—will come back with adjustments.

Carlisle’s perspective matters. He’s a former NBA champion who knows just how fragile the playoffs momentum can be. His emphasis on staying grounded is way more than just coach-speak—it’s a deliberate strategy to keep this young team emotionally stable and mentally sharp.

For the Pacers, Game 1 wasn’t a statement—it was a start. And with Carlisle steering the ship, Indiana isn’t letting one dramatic win cloud the bigger picture. They’ve been here before. They’ve been doubted before. Now, with home-court advantage stolen and momentum on their side, the Pacers are doing what the best playoff teams do. They tune out the noise, buy into the blueprint, and keep their eyes on the next 48 minutes.. Game 2 is coming. Indiana’s not satisfied—they’re locked in.