"Guys trust me" - Tyrese Haliburton talks about the final moments of Pacers' shocking Game 1 win vs. Thunder

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"Guys trust me" - Tyrese Haliburton talks about the final moments of Pacers' shocking Game 1 win vs. Thunder originally appeared on Basketball Network.
There's a new king when it comes to clutch shotmaking and his name is Tyrese Haliburton. In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, he delivered his best one yet, sinking a jumper from the right wing with less than a second remaining to give the Indiana Pacers a stunning 111-110 win over the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder.
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The game-winning basket was Hali's third in what has been a magical postseason for the Pacers. Seconds after his team broke up the Thunder's last offensive possession, Tyrese explained what went into their last offensive possession.
Pacers didn't call a timeout
As Aaron Nesmith hauled down the rebound after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a midrange jumper, the Pacers had a chance to call a timeout to set up a play. However, Rick Carlisle opted to let his players, Hali in particular, take control of the game.
"Coach trusts us in those moments to not call timeouts, trusts me in those moments. Guys trust me. And I'm just trying to make a play," Tyrese told Lisa Salters after the game. "So — man — basketball's fun, man. Winning is fun. That's a great win for us."
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The Thunder still had one possession to alter the game's result. However, Myles Turner ruined OKC's plans by tipping the ball away — a play that wasn't lost on the All-Star guard.
"Big-time play. Myles did a great job at the rim. They tried to do a pin-down to get him out of the action so they could throw the lob. Myles got around it; good tip," Hali said.
While Haliburton had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, five other Pacers scored in double-figures. Pascal Siakam led the team with 19, Turner had 15, Andrew Nembhard added 14, while Nesmith pitched in 10. Obi Toppin also came off the bench and scored 17 points.
"It's a total team effort. We had so many guys chip in — Obi was huge off the bench, Myles in the fourth, Andrew Nembhard in the fourth. So many guys stepped up, and I'm just really proud of this group," the two-time All-Star said. "We just had to figure out how to win in so many different ways — all year, the past two years. There's so many weird, different ways, and we just figured it out. We're a resilient group. And I'm just really proud of this group."
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Related: Fred VanVleet once revealed all the ways the Raptors tried to convince Kawhi Leonard to stay: "There is nothing more that we can do"
Pacers are not fazed by the moment
The Pacers are no strangers to making late-game comebacks. However, their latest escape act on Thursday was their most impressive, as it tied for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in the last half-century. Although many players contributed to the win, it was Hali's high-arcing jumper that ultimately secured the victory.
"When I got off the bus, when I put on my shoes, I mean, there was never a disbelief as a group, honestly," Haliburton said. "They have a lot of confidence in me to make that shot. I don't know what you say about it, I just know that this group is a resilient group and we don't give up until there is zero on the clock."
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Siakam chimed in, saying that when he handed the ball off to Tyrese as the seconds wound down, he had complete confidence in his guard to make the correct play.
"I was just trying to look for him, find him. We trust him in those situations to make the right play. Today it was a shot, and he made it. But he can also make the pass — he can do anything. So I had 100 percent confidence in him," the All-Star forward said.
Indiana drew first blood in the NBA Finals, an unexpected blow to OKC's seemingly impenetrable armor. With Game 2 looming, it will be interesting to see what the next page in this thrilling chapter holds.
Related: "They teach you that lesson more than anybody else in the league the hard way" - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts to shocking Game 1 loss vs. Pacers
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.