Reggie Miller walked Tyrese Haliburton through the strategy and chaos behind his historic eight points in 8.9 seconds against the Knicks in 1995.
Reggie Miller came out of the huddle at Madison Square Garden on May 7, 1995, down six to the New York Knicks with 18.7 seconds left and a plan: hit a quick 3, then start fouling.
He went back through the sequence with Tyrese Haliburton in a 30-minute video that dropped Thursday. It was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to win it.
Haliburton Learned About Miller's Famous Run Through a Documentary
Haliburton knows the play from a documentary, not from watching it live.
"I'd be remiss, we obviously brushed over it. Eight points, nine seconds, obviously historic," Haliburton said. "For me, I was born in 2000, so the first time I heard of eight points, nine seconds, it's 30 for 30, right? Like, the 'Winning Time,' which is one of my favorite docs."
During the 2025 playoffs, he said he had watched "Winning Time," ESPN's film on Miller's battles with the Knicks, probably 50 times.
The fall on the inbounds pass is what stays with him.
"The thing that comes to my mind the most is John Starks falling," Haliburton explained. "And you're getting the steal."
Miller corrected him. It was Greg Anthony who fell, and Anthony Mason threw the inbounds pass.
Miller Targeted Anthony Mason on the Inbounds Pass
Mason was the target.
"You and I talked about things have to lead up to that. It's got to be a perfect storm," Miller said. "I knew that the Knicks had no timeouts. During the time when it was a bloodbath in the series, everyone used their timeouts. You didn't have any timeouts. So we're down six. And coming out of the huddle, I say to Mark, 'OK, let's get a quick three and then start playing the foul game.'"
"So Mark's taking the ball out. And then that's when I get the first three," Miller continued. "So I knew they had no timeouts. And everyone's in a scramble situation, and Mason's taking the ball out. And God bless him, I love him, but I knew he wasn't. So if we had good pressure, he might turn it over. And on top of that, he was falling in bounds. That's the place where he was. So I marked that."
"And then when Greg Anthony was kind of coming around, he was going down anyways," Miller added. "Our feet had kind of tripped, but it made it look like I threw him down when I did like this, and Mason threw me the best pass."
Mark Jackson inbounded to Miller on the left wing for the first 3, over Starks, with 16.4 seconds left. That cut New York's lead to 105-102. Miller then intercepted Mason's pass, dribbled back behind the arc, and tied the game with another 3.
Miller Knew Another 3 Was Better Than Taking the Easy 2
A 2 would have left Indiana down one, and by Miller's account, Pat Riley had no timeouts left to stop the clock.
"So we're down three, and I easily could've just took the shot, but we would've been down one," Miller explained. "But I knew, just back, and then, 'I don't know if I'll make it now, but maybe I will.' OK. And boom, and then it's tied up. Still, they don't have no timeouts, so Pat Riley can't call a timeout."
"And Sam Mitchell, God bless him, on our team, he thought that we were down one. And that's when he fouls John Starks," Miller detailed. "So the game is tied. That's the quick six. He fouls John Starks, and he walks down to the other free-throw line, and I'm in his ear. 'Hey, you think you got this?' Because now I don't care if he makes them both. We still have a shot to win."
"But when he misses both, and then I get the rebound, and then they foul. Like, why would you foul?" Miller noted. "And that's where the two free throws came. That was the eight points in nine seconds, for the two free throws. And then they still had the possession to come all the way down. And I'm guarding Greg Anthony full court, and then he trips over my feet right there, and that's when I go running and talking."
Starks missed both free throws. Patrick Ewing got the offensive rebound and missed the follow. Miller grabbed that miss, was fouled, and made both free throws for a 107-105 lead with 7.5 seconds left, the final score.
NBC carried the game with Tom Hammond and Bill Walton on the call. Dale Davis, cutting toward the baseline, set an unintentional screen that freed Miller from Starks on the first 3.
Pacers-Knicks Rivalry Continued for Years
The Indiana Pacers won the series in seven games. Miller scored 29 points in a 97-95 win in Game 7 at the Garden, and Ewing missed a finger roll at the buzzer. The Knicks had eliminated Indiana in each of the previous two postseasons, and the rivals met six times in eight postseasons from 1993 through 2000. Indiana lost the 1995 conference finals to Orlando in seven games.
Indiana and New York met again in the 2025 conference finals, which the Pacers won in six games. Haliburton's Achilles gave out in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals weeks later, and he has not played in a game since. Indiana expects to start him alongside Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac this season.
The Knicks are the defending champions. They visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Nov. 13.
