The Game 1 barnburner between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers became the most-watched Eastern Conference Final Game 1 since the Celtics and Cavaliers squared off in 2018.
According to TNT, Wednesday’s game at Madison Square Garden averaged 6.6 million viewers and peaked at 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET, when the game was in its final minutes.
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The Knicks are in their first Eastern Conference Finals series since 2000, when they lost to Indiana in six games. In a rematch of last year’s second-round matchup, the Knicks kept a close lead for much of Game 1.
New York’s lead would swell to 17 at one point before Indiana came surging back in the fourth quarter as Jalen Brunson got into foul trouble. Then, the lead began to dissolve as Aaron Nesmith made six 3-pointers in the last five minutes of regulation.
In the final seconds of regulation, Tyrese Haliburton sank a buzzer-beating 2-pointer (with his toe on the line) to force overtime. Indiana capitalized in the extra period and completed the shocking comeback with a 138-135 win.
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While the Knicks-Pacers game notched the most eyes for an Eastern Conference Finals series opener, the most-viewed ECF game remains Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat in 2023. Jimmy Butler’s heroics in Miami’s win over Boston notched 11.9 million viewers, surpassing Game 7 between the Heat and Pacers in 2013, which averaged 11.6 million.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
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