In one of the most stunning comebacks in NBA playoff history, the Indiana Pacers erased a nine-point deficit with under a minute remaining in the game to beat the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday. Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton etched his name into Pacers playoff lore—and joined the list of Madison Square Garden villains—with his last-second shot that forced overtime and prompted Haliburton to hit the choke sign celebration in imitation of notorious Knicks heel Reggie Miller.

While Haliburton's shot did not ultimately win the game, his choke sign celebration, like Miller's will be forever synonymous with the Pacers' historic comeback and the Knicks' staggering collapse. But Haliburton, a knower of Pacers ball, isn't keen on repeating all of Miller's playoff history against the Knicks.

"I've seen that 'Winning Time' doc probably like 50 times growing up, so I know that they didn't win the series," Haliburton said when asked what he knows of what happened after Miller's infamous choke game. "Would not like to repeat that. But I think that was just a historic moment and obviously more him vs. Spike [Lee], kind of the one-on-one.

"And that [his play] just felt like it was to everyone, but to him too. I wanted him to see it more than anything. I think it's just really cool to continue to make my own history and this group to make our own history while also showing respect and love to the ones who came before us.

"Definitely a special moment and one I won't forget."

Miller infamously pulled out the choke sign after the Pacers' come-from-behind win in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals, in which he scored 25 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to stun the Knicks—and Lee. But Indiana went on to lose the series in seven games, with the final defeat occurring at Madison Square Garden.

Haliburton clearly would like to see this series fare differently. He'll get a chance to get the Pacers one step closer to the NBA Finals when Game 2 between the Pacers and Knicks tips off on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

More NBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Doesn't Want to Repeat All of Reggie Miller's History vs. Knicks.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate