Stephen A. Smith fumes as Knicks' historic collapse in final minutes hands Pacers Game 1 win

The New York Knicks were just a couple of minutes away from taking Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday. They led by as many as 17 points, and the Indiana Pacers didn't seem to have a response for their late surge.

Then, led by Aaron Nesmith's six fourth-quarter 3-pointers, they managed to storm right back, force overtime and eventually win 138-135.

That's why ESPN pundit and diehard Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith was fuming on Thursday's edition of First Take.

"You saw what happened last night," Smith said. "They were in the lead. They had a 17-point lead, and then my assistant started clapping like the world was ours. They got cocky, and the rest of the Knicks sensed it."

The Pacers have stolen home-court advantage after getting their third nail-biting playoff win.

Karl Anthony-Towns says Knicks aren't thinking about past rivalry with the Pacers

Wednesday's game was too reminiscent of Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals when Reggie Miller scored eight points in under nine seconds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 105-103 comeback win.

Tyrese Haliburton paid homage to Miller, who was calling the game for TNT, by making his iconic choke sign when he sank the buzzer-beating shot that forced overtime.

Even so, when asked about that, Karl-Anthony Towns didn't want to read too much into it.

“I mean, it’s our job to make history. So we’re not here to repeat history, we’re here to make history,” Towns told the media. “That doesn’t pop into my mind. I only think about the present and what we could do right now so we can make our own history."

Towns was outstanding in Game 1, scoring 35 points on 17 shots to go along with 12 rebounds. Jalen Brunson also dominated with 43 points and five assists, but he got into foul trouble early in the second half.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton maintained a strong momentum with 31 points and 11 assists, while Aaron Nesmith had the best game of his career, scoring 30 points and eight 3-pointers on nine attempts.

The series will resume on Sunday at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m. ET before heading to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4.