NBA Finals: Mr. Clutch: Tyrese Haliburton assists in keeping turning in for Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers rankings a basket with .3 seconds last all over the fourth quarter in opposition to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

OKLAHOMA CITY — You are Tyrese Haliburton.

You went to the Eastern Conference finals final yr and were given swept. You went to the Olympics final summer season and didn’t play a lot. You got here into this season with top expectancies and your Indiana Pacers were given off to a 10-15 get started. And on most sensible of that, a few of your NBA friends it appears that evidently suppose you might be overvalued.

READ: NBA Finals: Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers stun Thunder in Game 1

HALIBURTON WINS GAME 1 FOR THE PACERS.

THEY TRAILED BY 15.

ANOTHER CRAZY INDIANA COMEBACK 🚨 https://t.co/heI0ELIivW pic.twitter.com/1Qr6XlDbA7

— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2025

You were given indignant.

“I think as a group, we take everything personal,” Haliburton mentioned. “It’s not just me. It’s everybody. I feel like that’s the DNA of this group and that’s not just me.”

The anger fueled center of attention, the point of interest become self assurance, and the boldness delivered a 1-0 sequence lead within the NBA Finals. Haliburton’s penchant for last-second heroics — probably the most tales of those playoffs — confirmed up once more Thursday night time, his jumper with 0.3 seconds left going into finals lore and giving the Pacers a 111-110 win over the closely preferred Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pacers led for 0.0001% of that recreation. It was once sufficient.

“When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball,” Pacers teammate Myles Turner mentioned. “He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from the moment and it’s very important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. He just keeps finding a way and we keep putting the ball in the right positions and the rest is history.”

READ: NBA Finals: How the Pacers pulled off a comeback in Game 1

Haliburton is 4 for 4 within the ultimate 2 seconds of fourth quarters and overtimes in those playoffs, all of the ones pictures both giving the Pacers a win or sending a recreation into OT ahead of they gained it there.

The remainder of the NBA, in the ones eventualities this spring: 4 for 26, mixed.

If Haliburton takes a type of beat-the-clock pictures within the first 3 quarters of video games in those playoffs, he’s an insignificant mortal, simply 1 for 7 in the ones eventualities. But with the sport at the line, he’s very best.

“You don’t want to live and die with the best player on the other team taking a game winner with a couple seconds left,” Thunder guard Alex Caruso mentioned.

No, particularly when that best possible participant at the different group is Haliburton. Just ask Milwaukee. Or Cleveland. Or New York. They can have all informed Oklahoma City who was once going to take the massive shot and what was once almost definitely going to occur.

READ: NBA Finals: Thunder cave in when it mattered maximum in Game 1

Against the Bucks on April 29, it was once a layup with 1.4 seconds left that capped a rally from seven issues down within the ultimate 34.6 seconds of extra time. Final rating: Pacers 119, Bucks 118, and that sequence ended there.

In Cleveland on May 6, it was once a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left for a 120-119 win — capping a rally from seven issues down within the ultimate 48 seconds. At Madison Square Garden in opposition to the Knicks on May 21, a recreation the Pacers trailed 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left, he hit a jumper with out a time left to drive OT and Indiana would win once more.

All the ones performs got here with slightly one thing additional. His father, John Haliburton, were given slightly too exuberant with Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Bucks recreation and wasn’t allowed to return to the following few video games; the ban has since been lifted. Haliburton did a definite dance that the NBA doesn’t like a lot after the shot in opposition to the Cavs. He made a choke sign, a l. a. what Pacers legend Reggie Miller did in opposition to New York a technology previous, after hitting the shot in opposition to the Knicks.

But on Thursday, all industry. These finals are far from over, and he is aware of it. Game 2 is Sunday night time in Oklahoma City.

“Again, another big comeback but there’s a lot more work to do,” Haliburton mentioned. “That’s just one game. And this is the best team in the NBA, and they don’t lose often. So, we expect them to respond. We’ve got to be prepared for that. We got a couple days to watch film, see where we can get better.”

READ: NBA Finals drought over, Pacers glance to conquer snake-bitten historical past

Haliburton is in his first yr of a supermax contract that may pay him about $245 million alongside the best way. He has the Olympic gold medal from final summer season and without a doubt shall be a major candidate to play for USA Basketball once more on the Los Angeles Games in 2028. He’s now a two-time All-NBA variety. And he’s formally an authorized postseason, late-game hero.

Three extra wins, and he’ll be an NBA champion as smartly. The anger is long gone. Haliburton was once all smiles after Game 1, for evident causes.

“Ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,” Turner mentioned. “Some players will say they have it but there’s other players that show it, and he’s going to let you know about it, too. That’s one of the things I respect about him. He’s a baller and a hooper and really just a gamer.”

And in his NBA Finals debut, Haliburton reminded the arena that’s the case.

“This group never gives up,” Haliburton mentioned. “We never believe that the game is over until it hits zero, and that’s just the God’s honest truth. That’s just the confidence that we have as a group, and I think that’s a big reason why this is going on.”