With Game 1 seemingly out of reach in the final frame, Tyrese Haliburton did it again with another jaw-dropping game-winner. In what seems like a broken record at this point, Haliburton’s step-back jumper lifted the Indiana Pacers over the Oklahoma City Thunder to steal the first installment of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Haliburton’s absurd midrange jumpshot over Cason Wallace was his fourth game-tying or go-ahead bucket with less than five seconds left of the 2025 playoffs, according to ESPN. Three of those shots gave his team the lead, the most of any player in a single postseason in NBA history, per Sporting News’ Micah Adams.
The whole world knew that shot was going in
Tyrese Haliburton is now TIED with Reggie Miller when it comes to the most go-ahead or game-tying field goals with under 5 seconds remaining in regulation or overtime
pic.twitter.com/55xEXJTXZa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 6, 2025
To make his heroics even more mind-blowing, Haliburton is a senseless 6-for-7 on field goal attempts to tie or take the lead in the final 90 seconds of regulation or overtime in the playoffs, one fan pointed out. That same fan noted that his game-winner over the Thunder makes him 13-for-15 on such shots all season, a ridiculous 86.7 percent clip.
Haliburton’s historic run has affected all four teams the Pacers faced in the playoffs. He burned Giannis Antetokounmpo to hit a game-winning layup with one second remaining to send the Milwaukee Bucks home in Game 5. He then hit a wild step-back three-pointer to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 before stunning the New York Knicks with a similar shot in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Before the postseason began, the NBA named Jalen Brunson its 2024-2025 Clutch Player of the Year. Had they waited even halfway through the playoffs, Haliburton would have easily claimed that title in a landslide.
Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner gives Pacers 1-0 lead
Nobody ever knows what to expect in the NBA Finals, but the Pacers continue to defy the odds. Oklahoma City went up by as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter after Jalen Williams stole an inbounds pass for an easy fastbreak dunk. Yet, as it has done time and again, Indiana mounted an out-of-nowhere late comeback to set up Haliburton’s big shot.
The game-winner almost masked a semi-pedestrian Game 1 for Haliburton, who ended with just 14 points on 6-for-13 from the floor. He tallied just six assists with Lu Dort draped all over him for most of the game, but added 10 rebounds to notch another double-double.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander guided the Thunder with a game-high 38 points. Williams complemented the 2025 MVP with 17 points, but it was not enough to stave off another Indiana comeback.
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