Pacers add to legendary clutch status with new NBA Playoffs record
The post Pacers add to legendary clutch status with new NBA Playoffs record appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Indiana Pacers trailed the Oklahoma City Thunder by 15 points in the fourth quarter of the opening NBA Finals showdown. So, in other words, they had them right where they wanted them. Tyrese Haliburton, who was fairly quiet from a scoring standpoint, once again swooped in at the eleventh hour and sunk a tremendously clutch basket to propel his team to a stunning 111-110 road victory.
Advertisement
The Paycom Center turned uncomfortably silent, while the basketball-watching world exploded on social media. Indy committed 19 turnovers but only trailed 12 at halftime, a strong indicator that it would have a chance to steal another W in hostile territory. Sure enough, Rick Carlisle's deep and endlessly resilient squad tightened up, made timely stops and knocked down shots during crunch time. Most of those who witnessed the heart-stopping finish are still trying to gather their bearings.
For the Pacers, though, this has become just another day in the franchise's most legendary postseason run ever. Thursday night's Game 1 thriller marked the fifth time that they have overcome a 15-point-plus deficit in the 2025 NBA playoffs, which is the highest total in the play-by-play era (since 1997), per Keerthika Uthayakumar. Indiana is 5-3 when facing such a disadvantage, a mind-boggling stat that perfectly encapsulates a mind-boggling spring.
The Eastern Conference champions did not take the lead until the final 0.3 seconds of the game, and yet, they kept their composure. The squad only had six turnovers in the second half, shot a sweltering 46.2 percent from 3-point range (18-of-39) and dominated the rebounding battle, 56-39. Haliburton scored a modest 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting but did grab 10 rebounds. His teammates helped put him in position to sink the game-winner.
The Pacers are no one-man show
Pascal Siakam totaled a team-high 19 points and also secured 10 rebounds. Aaron Nesmith recorded 12 boards and brought vital energy. Myles Turner was one rebound shy of a double-double and tallied three blocks. Obi Toppin made five 3-pointers off the bench. All of these men will get their due for the part they played in the magnificent comeback.
Advertisement
But Andrew Nembhard must get his flowers, too. Although the 25-year-old guard shot a meager 36.4 percent from the field, he pushed the pace on offense and put forth a notable defensive effort.
Nembhard drained a huge step-back 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three with two minutes remaining and did enough to prevent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from stretching the lead in the waning seconds. The Pacers put together a complete effort and have snatched home-court advantage, once again.
This is the third consecutive series that Indy has won a road Game 1. Neither the Cleveland Cavaliers nor the New York Knicks were able to recover from their upset losses. Will the 68-win Thunder buck the trend? Gilgeous-Alexander is surely reminding everyone in the locker room that they were in the exact same spot in the Western Conference Semifinals, collapsing in the final minute versus the Denver Nuggets. They survived and ascended to another gear the following round.
A similar level of tenacity will be required if OKC hopes to redeem itself in the NBA Finals. That is certainly possible, many would even say likely, given this team's balance and defensive intensity. But the Pacers have withstood all counter punches to this point. If they can do it in the Finals, this gripping tale of intestinal fortitude will be immortalized in sports lore.
Related: Listen to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton's Game 1 game-winner around the world
Related: T.J. McConnell's 'comfortable' admission after Tyrese Haliburton's latest heroics for Pacers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
17 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
A.J. Greer makes his Stanley Cup Final debut for the Florida Panthers in Game 3
Associated Press SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — A.J. Greer returned for the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night after missing the first two in the series against the Edmonton Oilers because of injury. Jesper Boqvist came out of the lineup to make room for Greer, who is making his first career appearance in the final. 'It's definitely a dream come true, but I'm not really trying to focus on that,' Greer said after the team's morning skate in Fort Lauderdale. 'It's another game for me and I'm just trying to enjoy it, but I'm not trying to associate anything bigger than just my next shift, really.' Greer, 28, gutted through injury for part of this playoff run before exiting in the Eastern Conference final against Carolina when it was clear he wasn't healthy enough to stay in. Maurice lauded Greer for his lack of selfishness and an abundance of self-awareness to understand when the pain threshold was reached and do what's best for the team. 'Good on him for recognizing that,' coach Paul Maurice said. 'We were fortunate that we were able to heal A.J. to a place that he's really confident in what he's doing. ... He's been such a positive part of what we do.' Greer almost wasn't here at all. A little over four years ago, he was languishing in the minors and almost giving up on his NHL dream. 'I was pretty much 24 hours away from just calling it, going to Europe and trying to just get a paycheck, trying to squeeze out every dollar that I can out of this sport and then live my life,' Greer said. 'Fortunately, things kind of bounced my way.' Greer was essentially a throw-in as part of a trade to the New Jersey Devils that got the New York Islanders Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, who helped them reach the East final. Greer — who was a second-round pick of Colorado in 2015 and played 37 games for the Avalanche from 2016-18 — developed some confidence with the American Hockey League's Utica Comets and cracked the Devils' roster a few times. Agent Philippe Lecavalier challenged Greer over whether he wanted to be an AHL player or adapt his style to be a role player in the NHL. 'You could say I wanted to try to prove him wrong,' Greer said. 'I kind of just went day by day, got better mentally, physically and matured with my game. I understood if I wanted to ever play in the NHL again, the way I have to play and the things I have to do — and I got a chance, so I'm very grateful for that. It all led up to here.' At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Greer has been a physical force for Florida as the Panthers try to repeat as champions. He is one of the newcomers, along with their leading scorer in the final, Nate Schmidt, and teammates are happy to have Greer back. 'He's a pain to play against,' Evan Rodrigues said. 'He's a guy that can change the momentum of a game. He's heavy on the forecheck. For the most part, I don't think you want to get hit by him. He's a really good presence for us. And he chips in offensively. He lays the body. Just overall a pain the neck to play against.' That came with time and trial and error as Greer learned how to have an impact with limited ice time. This spring brought his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he has made the most of his nearly eight minutes a game. 'My game's grown, especially this year,' Greer said. 'My confidence has grown, and I'm ready to take on the biggest challenge that I've really faced in my career.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
Hamilton Spectator
18 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes control as Thunder roll past Pacers to even NBA Finals at a game apiece
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says he figures out what he must do on a game-to-game basis and he's never sure what it's going to be. Lots of shots? OK. Plenty of assists? Then that'll be it. Some steals? Sure. He had no preordained idea going into Game 2 of the NBA Finals , and ended up ding a lot of everything. Thirty-four points. Eight assists. Four steals. Five rebounds. A blocked shot. Total control from start to finish. And more than enough for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder to subdue the Indiana Pacers 123-107 Sunday night and even the series at 1-1 heading into Wednesday's third game, Gilgeous-Alexander saw what was needed and made it happen. 'I always try to be aggressive and I never, like, predetermine it,' Gilgeous-Alexander said leading up to the game. 'I always, like, just let the game tell me what to do. So I guess last game I felt, more often than not, I had a shot or a play that I could attack on more than in the past, and that's just the way it went. 'So the same thing will happen in Game 2. I will read the defence and I will play off my feeling and my instincts.' According to the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexander's 72 points in his first Finals are the most in the first two games by any player. 'Shai, you can mark down 34 points before they even get on the plane tomorrow for the next game,' Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. 'The guy's going to score. We've got to find ways to make it as tough as possible on him. (Jalen) Williams played really well tonight. All their guys played well. And so we're going to have to do a lot of things better.' OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For the Indiana Pacers, a chance at being perfect in Games 1 and 2 of these The Thunder are long used to seeing Gilgeous-Alexander up to such hijinks. 'Unsurprising at this point,' Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. 'It's just kind of what he does. He just continues to progress and improve and rise to every occasion that he puts himself in and that we put ourselves in. 'I thought his floor game tonight was really, really in a great rhythm. I thought everyone played better individually, and I thought we played better collectively. I think that was a byproduct.' The Thunder were never really threatened. They took an 11-point lead with about eight minutes left in the first half and the Pacers never got closer. Oklahoma City forced 15 turnovers that led to 14 points, and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and turned them into nine second-chance points. There was not a stretch of the game where it looked like Indiana was truly comfortable. 'Another bad first half,' Carlisle said. 'Obviously, it was a big problem, and we just played poorly. A little bit better in the second half but you can't be a team that's reactive and expect to be successful or have consistency.' Gilgeous-Alexander's night was made a bit easier by major contributions from Chet Holmgren (15 points), Jalen Williams (19) and Alex Caruso (20). They all played better than they had in Game 1, allowing the Thunder to thrive with their multi-faceted offence. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — You are Tyrese Haliburton. Tyrese Haliburton, whose bucket with less than a second remaining won Game 1 , had a pedestrian night for the Pacers. He finished with 17 points but was far too passive for too long as the game got out of sight. He had just five shots and six points through the first three quarters. Aurora's Andrew Nembhard had 11 points for Indiana and Pascal Siakam chipped in with 15. 'People shouldn't just look at (Haliburton's) points and assists and judge how he played, or judge how any of our guys played just on that,' Carlisle said. 'That's just not … that's not how our team is built. I mean, we are an ecosystem that has to function together, and … we've got to score enough points to win the game but who gets them and how they get them (is) not important.' If there is one thing the Pacers wanted to avoid, it was to dwell on their unlikely comeback in Game 2. 'I'm not interested in talking about the past,' Carlisle had said before the game. 'Each day, as you are on a playoff run, is like a new day. I find that looking back is a dangerous thing. We've got to keep our eye firmly where it needs to be, which is on now and the next thing.' The focus now will be on Wednesday's Game 3 in Indianapolis and what challenges it will present. And what happens next won't be predicated on what happened before. 'Each game in this series is going to look different,' Carlisle said. 'I mean, every game in every other series we've played, a playoff series is a series of seven chapters, and each one takes on a different personality.' With a first-quarter basket, Gilgeous-Alexander became the 12th player in NBA history to crack the 3,000-point plateau (regular season and playoffs combined) in one season. Michael Jordan did it 10 times, Wilt Chamberlain did it five times and 10 others — Gilgeous-Alexander, Bob McAdoo, Elgin Baylor, James Harden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, Rick Barry and Shaquille O'Neal — have each done it once.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Indiana Pacers get free agency update
Indiana Pacers get free agency update originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Pacers, despite having their fair share of team success over the last several years, are not known as big spenders. Advertisement However, with free agency on the horizon and a championship-caliber roster already in town, the Pacers should be willing to throw more money at marquee free agents than usual. Starting center and defensive anchor Myles Turner will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and after playing a massive role in Indiana's success, he is expected to be one of the most coveted free agents this summer. In order to keep him, the Pacers might have to slip above the luxury tax, which they have historically been reluctant to do. However, with their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years, they should be willing to make an exception for the longest-tenured player on the roster. "After reaching the NBA Finals, Indiana now appears primed to enter the tax for the first time in nearly two decades as it looks to retain core pieces and solidify its roster for another deep postseason push," league insider Grant Anfseth predicted. Advertisement Anfseth also listed the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks as realistic landing spots for Turner in free agency, although with the Pacers positioned to enter next season as Finals favorites, shelling out more cash than usual to keep Turner should (and will) be a priority. While the Pistons and Hawks are up-and-coming teams, the Pacers have already made the Finals, and if all three teams offer the same amount of money, then Indiana has a clear advantage when it comes to luring Turner back. Other key players like Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, and Tyrese Haliburton are all under contract for the next few seasons. Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Advertisement Related: Indiana Pacers Break Remarkable 26-Year-Old Record in Finals Related: Pacers' Rick Carlisle Reveals Honest Thoughts on Colleague Being Fired This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
