As the Indiana Pacers trailed by 14 points with about three minutes to go in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, I watched from my media seat on the Chase Bridge at Madison Square Garden and plotted out my instant-reaction plan.
“I’ll write about how Haliburton needs more help,” I wrote in our work Slack chat at 10:34 that evening, referencing the Pacers’ All-Star guard. “As long as this game doesn’t turn.”
The game seemed likely over, but Aaron Nesmith kept drilling 3s and the New York Knicks’ lead kept shrinking. My fellow media members who sat beside me were trickling downstairs to make it to the news conference room on time. My interest kept piquing. Maybe the game was over, but it could still have a fun ending.
I decided to stay in my seat.
When you cover a game in person, especially a playoff game, you don’t want to miss the big moments. That’s what you are there for. Sometimes that means sitting through a thrilling back-and-forth affair. Sometimes, it means waiting out win probability charts to make sure they don’t lose out to the unpredictability of real life.
