Tyrese Haliburton has taken countless shots in his six-year NBA career — but never one quite like this.
Not on this stage. Not with this weight.
He let it fly — a 21-foot jumper off a stepback with 0.3 of a second left — and held his follow-through just long enough to watch the net snap.
TYRESE HALIBURTON'S GAME WINNER IN GAME 1 OF THE #NBAFinals 🤯 https://t.co/KDTrL8LbeW
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 6, 2025
One shot, one moment, and finally, one lead.
It was Indiana’s first — and only — time ahead all night and it was all they needed.
“It’s a shot I’ve worked on a million times. I have confidence in that shot,” Haliburton said in of his clutch heroics that sealed a stunning 111-110 Indiana Pacers comeback to steal the championship opener from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
[ALSO READ: Clutch Tyrese Haliburton, 'comeback' Pacers stun Thunder in thrilling start to NBA Finals]
It was another Haliburton moment, another comeback for the ages.
This one came against the league-best Thunder — a 68-win team boasting a 35–6 home record and the newly crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — and it may have been Indiana’s boldest escape yet.
Furthermore, the victory marked the Pacers’ fifth comeback from a 15-point deficit or more this postseason, the most in a single playoff run since 1998.
“After you make a run last year and get swept in the East Finals, all the conversation is about how you don’t belong there — that it was a fluke,” Haliburton said. “Guys are going to be pissed off.”
“As a group, we take everything personally,” he continued. “Not just me — everybody. That’s what gives this group confidence,” the two-time All-Star continued.
Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists as Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19. Obi Toppin added 17 off the bench as six Indiana players scored in double figures.
The Pacers turned it over 19 times in the first half and trailed by double digits at the break. But they stayed within striking distance thanks to gritty defense — holding OKC to just 39.8% shooting — and timely shot-making late.
OKC’s last chance — an alley-oop lob with 0.3 of a second left — was broken up by the Pacers’ defense.
“We’re a resilient group. All playoffs long, that’s what we preach — when we get down big, let’s just find a way to incrementally chip away,“ Haliburton insisted.
He added: "We don’t give up ’til the clock hits zero.”
“We’ve had lots of experience in these kinds of games. We just kept chipping at the rock,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
Game 2 is set on Monday (PH time), June 9 with Indiana aiming for a commanding 2-0 lead before the series shifts to their home turf for Games 3 and 4.
