2025 NBA Finals: Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers Make Extraordinary Routine

Forbes

8 hours ago

OKLAHOMA CITY – There were 2.5 seconds left on the clock in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and the entire Indiana Pacers bench was on their feet. Every member of the Pacers roster and coaching staff, poised and breathless in a big moment, edged closer to the hardwood in unison as the clock ticked down. They knew a celebration was coming.
Across the court from them stood Pacers reserve forward Obi Toppin, who had provided enough offensive value throughout the night that head coach Rick Carlisle opted to close the game with him in the lineup. The freakish athlete knocked down five threes in Game 1, and he put his arms up with 2.5 seconds to go with a chance to do it again. He was wide open, and the Pacers trailed by just one point.
Moments later, those same arms shot up again. This time, Toppin was celebrating. His teammates on the bench erupted and poured onto the floor. Myles Turner, the Pacers starting center who was replaced by Toppin, was more excited than anyone as he jumped for joy several times. The team, staffers, and coaches were giddy. With 0.3 seconds left to go, their star teammate had done it again. For the fourth time in this playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton had buried a shot that felt like a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Toppin knew right away it was going in. 'It's not the first time we've been in that position,' he said enthusiastically at his locker. It was his first-ever NBA Finals victory. 'We trust [Haliburton]
With Cason Wallace defending him, Haliburton dribbled to his right. He went all the way from the backcourt to the right wing before splashing in a 21-foot two-point jumper that gave Indiana a 111-110 lead with negligible time left on the clock. It was the Haliburton's 14th points of the game, and it gave his team the scoreboard advantage for the first, and only, time in their Game 1 victory.
It capped off a 15-point comeback for the Pacers, who trailed 94-79 with 9:28 left in the game. They looked out of sorts to many. Internally, that's where the blue and gold thrive. Erasing a deficit is their comfort zone.
Indiana slashed the deficit from 15 to 11 in 41 seconds. They were down eight one minute later, then down four with six minutes to go. It happened fast, but it's what the Pacers do, even on the biggest stage the sport has to offer. They were finally forcing stops and took advantage on the offensive end.
'To show the resiliency, especially against a great OKC team like that… it's amazing,' Pacers center Thomas Bryant shared. His confidence has returned of late, only adding to the Pacers conviction. He showed it on the floor in Game 1.
While the Thunder continued to keep the Pacers away for the next few minutes, even extending their lead to nine with 2:39 to go, Indiana never blinked. With 1:59 remaining, it was a three-point margin. That set up an epic finish as Indiana looked to take their first lead of the entire game.
The three-point Thunder lead became one with 49 seconds to go, and the Pacers defense was at its best for two more possessions. That gave them the ball with about seven seconds to go. They had one more shot. With Haliburton on the floor, Toppin handed him the rock while his teammates got out of the way.
Haliburton hit perhaps the biggest shots in Pacers franchise history to give Indiana the win, and the lead in the NBA Finals. He was calm during the play, but elated internally.
'I'm obviously confident in my ability and feel like if I can get to that spot, I feel very comfortable there. So yeah, it's a shot I've worked on a million times and I'll work on it a million times more,' Haliburton said postgame with his brand new signature shoes on the table in front of him. 'Just have confidence in that shot.'
The Pacers were down 15 points in the fourth quarter because of imprecise play. Multiple players, including backup point guard T.J. McConnell, noted postgame that they have a lot to clean up. McConnell noted that there was a collective lack of satisfaction from the group even in victory.
They have to be better in many ways. Indiana's turnovers, in particular, were alarming – they had 19 in the first half and 24 in total. But closing out improbable games is what the Pacers do. It's their thing. Every time, it seems like a miracle. But it's not – especially if it keeps happening.
ESPN has a win probability model that updates after various plays throughout the game. When OKC took a 15-point lead, that model gave the Thunder a 97.9% chance to win. Up eight with 2:52 to go, that percentage was 96.4%. Yet they lost.
'We are one step closer,' Turner said, referring to a championship. 'It feels good to get the first [win] underneath your belt because now you have a baseline and you can make adjustments and you do what you got to do.'
That swing in win probability is nothing new for the Pacers. In Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks, they erased a seven-point deficit late. In Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they did so again. Indiana's comeback in Game 1 vs the New York Knicks was historic. This is what the Pacers have made routine.
They just find a way to win. In moments when many teams would quit, they don't. It's how they have made once-in-a-lifetime games seem normal. Everyone within the Pacers franchise expected Haliburton would make the final shot Thursday night, and they were right.
This time, it was in the NBA Finals. It was the biggest possible stage. But it wasn't too big of a stage for Haliburton, and the Pacers lead 1-0 as a result.
It's the first time the blue and gold have ever been ahead in a Finals series. They stole the game, and they need just three wins to become champions for the first time ever.
So it's no wonder the Pacers, who knew a celebration was coming with 2.5 seconds to go in the game, were in such a good mood after the win. They are leading in the NBA Finals. James Johnson, the team's 38-year old veteran who has never made it this far in the playoffs, feels better than ever. 'I feel great about us!' he exclaimed postgame. How could he not? What was once miraculous is now customary. The entire Pacers team feels great.