It’s no easy task to keep the faith after your team falls behind 3-1 in a series, but the Knicks fans doing so in the face of a dynamic Pacers team have good reason to eschew history. While no team has ever come back from losing the first two home games of a conference finals, and just one team has come back from a 3-1 deficit, this roster is uniquely suited to pull off a miracle.
For all the questions about its toughness and identity, one thing this Knicks team has proven itself time and again is resilient. They did it in the regular season, in the biggest moments of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and now have a chance to do it again.
Many teams would buckle at a ground-moving trade like the one New York made the night before training camp, trading two starters from the previous year for Karl-Anthony Towns. He’d be a late show to camp due to the deal, while the returning Knicks still had to adjust to one new starter and the emotional aftershock from the trade.
Despite this, an opening night whooping from the Boston Celtics and up-and-down start to the year, the Knicks would bounce back with a massive December, losing just two games in the month en route to a 24-10 start to the season. They’d continue through the regular season with the most available rotation in the league, constantly playing through injuries and some of the highest minute and miles loads across the NBA.
Then as the season neared its end, Jalen Brunson, the team’s captain and MVP candidate, went down with an ankle injury. With a month to play until he’d return and playoff seeding on the line, the Knicks would once again respond, staying afloat with a 9-6 record over a west coast swing.
The playoffs brought them little relief, as their first test was the physical and hungry Detroit Pistons. The up-and-coming squad pushed them in their first game at MSG, controlling the contest from the jump and going up double digits in the second half.
The Knicks responded with a massive 40-21 fourth quarter to defend home court, their first of many playoff comebacks this year. They would lose Game 2 at home, but come back with two gutsy road wins, both by single possession margins, and eventually seal the series on the road in Game 6.
Then came the mighty Celtics, who – as the hoops media repeatedly reminded us all – went 4-0 against the Knicks in the regular season in dominant fashion. This didn’t dissuade the Knicks from competing, even as they fell behind by 20 in Game 1 on the road.
New York pushed its way back, forcing overtime and stealing home court advantage there. Game 2 was almost an near-repeat, as once again they found themselves down 20, only to march back into striking distance down the stretch, where they’d pull off a historically massive upset in back-to-back road games.
Even in their decisive Game 4 win to take a 3-1 lead in the series, the Knicks found themselves down double figures after the first quarter. At this point it had almost become a meme for New York to play their best ball when all the odds were stacked against them.
We’ve seen this carry over into this Pacers series. After losing both home games the Knicks came back from 20 points yet again in Game 3 to keep their series alive.
Down 3-1 and facing elimination, New York would not let themselves go out on their home court on Thursday, crushing Indiana to force a Game 6 on Saturday night. One more win and they’ll find themselves in a one-game series, at Madison Square Garden, with all the momentum on their side.
So while many have written off this Knicks season given their predicament, the ones that have held positive may be onto something. Because this New York team is far tougher than meets the eye, and has proven that time and time again in getting here.
They may not be able to complete the comeback, but to count them out is going against everything they’ve been this season.
Read the full article here
