NEW York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa was ready to put the clamps on the Indiana Pacers with a shoe in hand during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The former NBA first-round pick’s hustle didn’t stop, even when he lost his sneaker on the court during the high-stakes playoff game at Madison Square Garden.
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Achiuwa’s shoe slipped off his foot when the 6-foot-5 forward tripped while setting a screen for Jalen Brunson late in the first quarter.
Brunson missed his floater before Pacers’ Pascal Siakam recovered a rebound and raced down the court in transition.
The Knicks forward grabbed the shoe and ran back to defend the play.
But soon after, he found himself running in the opposite direction – sneaker still in hand – following a missed layup by Aaron Nesmith.
Achiuwa, 24, spent about 13 seconds trying to play while holding the shoe.
He finally found a moment to put it back in as Josh Hart entered the paint for an acrobatic shot.
And to cap off the wild sequence, Hart was slapped in the head by Siakam as the Pacers star contested the attempt.
NBA fans praised Achiuwa’s effort – while laughing a little.
“My boy Precious Achiuwa ball’n with a shoe! Bitch!” one posted on X.
“Laughing out loud seeing Precious Achiuwa running up and down the court with her shoe in her hand. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen at a basketball game,” added another.
“Precious Achiuwa running with the shoe was comedy,” said a third.
“Achiuwa said: fuck you, you have to do what you have to do, with or without shoes,” wrote one.
Achiuwa came off the bench Tuesday night after replacing injured OG Anunoby as the starter in Sunday’s 121-89 Game 4 loss.
The Nigerian-born forward finished the first half with four points, three rebounds, one assist and two blocks.
NBA Western Conference Playoffs
First round
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) 4-0 New Orleans Pelicans (8)
Los Angeles Clippers (4) 2-4 Dallas Mavericks (5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (3) 4-0 Phoenix Suns (6)
Denver Nuggets (2) 4-1 Los Angeles Lakers (7)
Conference Semifinals
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) x Dallas Mavericks (5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (3) vs. Denver Nuggets (2)
Meanwhile, New York went into the locker room with a 69-54 halftime lead.
Prior to Game 5, Achiuwa averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds against Indiana in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
The conference semifinal series returned to MSG after the Pacers won two straight games in Indianapolis and tied 2-2.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
