6 days ago
Haliburton continues to lead Pacers on 'mind-boggling' postseason run
Yahoo Sports senior NBA analysts Kevin O'Connor and Tom Haberstroh react to Tyrese Haliburton's Game 1 winning jumper to lead the Pacers to an unexpected 1-0 lead over the Thunder in the NBA Finals. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
Try Halliburton does it again.
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He did it again.
He did it again.
He did it again, cause, oh my goodness.
This is, this is the most mind boggling run postseason run.
I have ever seen.
Like, this team, the Indiana Pacers, were plus 5000 odds to win the NBA championship this season.
Preseason, plus 5000.
And here they are against the team that had the best point differential in NBA history during the regular season.
They go into their building, OKC that has lost one game to the Eastern Conference all season long.
And they upset them at the last second.
Tyrese Halliburton did it again.
This dude, I, like, what other dance, what other Sally, there's nothing else he can do.
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It's all done.
He's done it all.
Tyrese Halliburton is immortal, dude.
Immortal.
It feels like Indiana continues to be a team of destiny, right?
I mean, like, there's just no other way to put it.
This team just continues to have games like this.
They're down 15 in the second half to, as you said, one of the greatest regular season teams we've seen, uh, a team that has been dominant throughout their entire postseason run in Oklahoma City.
They still have the resilience to have a comeback like this with multiple guys coming up clutch.
Obviously, Obi top and all the threes he hit throughout the game.
Andrew Nemhard, some of the clutch shots, clutch plays he made, really aggressive drives to the basket.
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Naismith had a big 3 late in that second half in the 4th quarter as well.
And OKC.
Just kind of collapse.
I mean, like I, I, I like, is there anything you'd pin it on, like, how do they give this up?
How do you give this lead up, or is this just more in the end and just doing what they've been doing and as we've been talking about this whole postseason, Tom.
The shot making was insane.
The Andrew Nemhard play one on one where he crossed up Shay Gildris Alexander on that left wing to get to his left side and hit the 3-pointer with 2 minutes left to bring the game within 3 points.
That was one of the nastiest plays I have ever seen in the NBA Finals in their building.
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Like this is the the OB top in threes.
Miles Turner didn't play down the stretch because he was so good and the, the Thunder went small down the stretch.
They wanted to switch, they wanted to be able to guard 1 through 5.
And Rick Carlisle, whatever he has imbued in this team, to give them the faith, to never let the opponent beat them at any point.
They were down.
The Pacers were down by 15 or 14 points with 858 left.
They had a 99.1% chance that Thunder had a 99.1% chance at winning this game according to
Mike Boy's, uh, his algorithm had a 99.1% chance for Oklahoma City Thunder to win game one on their home floor with 858 remaining in the fourth quarter.
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And the Pacers did it again.
Tyrese Halliburton was locked up all night long when he was in the torture chamber.
Lou Dort had him in fits, and he gets that.
He gets that matchup against Cason Wallace in that last second scenario, and I was like, he's gonna do it.
He's gonna do it.
Lou Dort has had him bottled up the last two seasons.
I, I, I, I, he got freed up in that, in that last second possession and I was just like, he's gonna do it again.
And sure enough, he gets that pull up.
Mid-range, he held up his his follow through.
He knew it was going in as soon as he released it.
Tyrese Halliburton is incredible.
The NBA, the NBA has gotten a gift from the basketball gods in Tyrese Halliburton delivering another late game, game winner, just unbelievable.
