Before Monday, the only time the Knicks had ever blown a 12-point fourth-quarter lead in the playoffs was Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
To Knicks fans, that loss some 32 years ago is better known as the “Choke Game.”
But what history often fails to mention is that after Reggie Miller led his Indiana Pacers to that classic come-from-behind victory — and flashed the infamous “choke” gesture to superfan Spike Lee — the Knicks went on to win that series.
That’s what the modern-day Knicks will try to do again after the Atlanta Hawks stole Game 2 and evened their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
“We’ve been in this situation before,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said after Monday night’s 107-106 loss at Madison Square Garden.
“Obviously, everyone is frustrated with this loss, and we’re going to go into Game 3 with great attention to detail and a great focus for a full 48 [minutes]. We’ve got high-character guys who respond well.”
The third-seeded Knicks entered Monday’s fourth quarter leading 91-79, only to be outscored, 28-15, over the final 12 minutes.
CJ McCollum scored six of his game-high 32 points in the final 2:08, including the tie-breaking jumper with 33.5 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winner.
So instead of taking a 2-0 lead to Atlanta, the Knicks go into Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Thursday night in a 1-1 tie, with home-court advantage having shifted to the sixth-seeded Hawks.
“It’s why these things are seven-game series,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said.
“You’ve got to keep taking it one possession, one quarter, one game at a time. Atlanta did what they wanted to do. They came in here and they took one from us at home. And in my opinion, you’ve got to be able to win on the road if you expect to get where you want to go to. And so for us, we’ve got to go win on the road.”
The Knicks went 22-19 on the road in the regular season, and they defeated the Hawks in Atlanta on April 6.
That snapped a 13-game home winning streak for the resurgent Hawks, who are now 20-6 since Feb. 22, including the playoffs.
The Knicks led by as many as 14 points in the second half of Monday’s loss. That’s after they surrendered a 11-0 run late in Saturday night’s 113-102 win in Game 1 at the Garden.
“We’ve just got to play better with the lead,” said Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who finished with 29 points on 10-of-26 shooting. “That’s twice in the fourth quarter now that we’ve done that.”
Numerous other factors will also be scrutinized after Monday’s loss, including timeout management and a scoreless fourth quarter by Karl-Anthony Towns. As a team, the Knicks shot just 5-of-22 in the fourth.
But all of that needs to be in the past as the Knicks head to Atlanta.
“This was a game we should have won, and in the playoffs, you can’t give away games,” Hart said. “So we’ve all got to make sure we are locked in, watch the film of it, get better, and go in and battle for Game 3.”