Jalen Brunson-Tyrese Haliburton Rivalry Bolsters Knicks-Pacers Ratings to Highest Since 2018

Tyrese Haliburton making an improbable shot bolstered Knicks-Pacers TV ratings significantly on Wednesday night.

Jalen Brunson-Tyrese Haliburton Rivalry Bolsters Knicks-Pacers Ratings to Highest Since 2018

Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton will resume their WWE rivalry in the ECF (Image via FirstSportz)

With several intriguing storylines coming together, Knicks vs Pacers promised to be a humdinger. It delivered richly on its promise and then some, with game 1 of the series going to overtime. Tyrese Haliburton hit a shot that hit the back of the rim, touched the top of Madison Square Garden and then swished through the bucket. Initially adjudged as a game-winner, it ended up being ruled a 2-point shot.

The Pacers staged an improbable comeback to get to this stage of the game. They trailed by 14 points with only 2 minutes and 40 seconds of game clock remaining. This deficit was only cut to 9 points with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Aaron Nesmith booked his name in the NBA record books, hitting five dizzying 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game and putting Indiana in position.

Haliburton almost sealed the win with an improbable step-back shot as the game clock expired. He wheeled away from the other players on the pitch while doing Reggie Miller’s iconic ‘choking gesture’ from the 1994 playoffs. Riding on the high of their comeback, the Pacers outlasted the Knicks in overtime. The game was also one of the most commercially successful NBA games in recent memory.

According to Sports Media Watch, Wednesday’s Pacers-Knicks Game 1 was the most-watched Eastern Conference Finals opener since Cavaliers-Celtics on ABC in 2018. Indiana’s overtime comeback victory reached a peak audience of 8.5 million during the 11 PM ET quarter-hour. It stands as the third most-watched Conference Finals opener since 2019 (out of 12 total). This game trails only last year’s Mavericks-Timberwolves and Lakers-Nuggets games on the ESPN networks (7.36M).

Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Knicks averaged a 3.5 rating and 6.6 million viewers across TNT and truTV on Wednesday. These figures match last year’s Pacers-Celtics opener on ESPN and ESPN2 in ratings (3.5) and up 2% in viewership. It ranks as the most-watched Game 1 of the ECF since Cavaliers-Celtics on ABC in 2018 and is also tied for the highest-rated over that period.

Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton will be the keys to their teams

As Team USA’s 2023 FIBA World Cup point guards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton both know each other’s playing styles extremely well. They are both responsible for powering their teams’ offenses. While Brunson is more of a scorer, setting teammates up using his scoring threat, Haliburton is a more traditional point guard. The Pacers point guard, however, has upped his scoring threat in these playoffs.

Haliburton is currently 5-of-6 on game-tying or leading shots taken in the last 90 seconds of the 2025 playoffs. This is as good a clutch streak as any player has ever had in a single postseason. Haliburton has won the team games against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and now the Knicks with his clutch play. He clearly relishes the challenge of going at defenses as a scorer during crunch time.

Jalen Brunson will be hoping to even the scores for the Knicks in Game 2. The Knicks virtually had the game in the bag with three minutes on the game clock. Their failure to put this game away will rankle all their players – especially after some clutch performances against the Pistons and the Celtics. The team will come into the remaining games of the series with extra motivation, ruthlessness and fervour.

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