Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Tyrese Haliburton added to his pantheon of playoff heroics on Friday. His game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 1 of the NBA Finals left Oklahoma City Thunder fans stunned and Pacers fans jubilant as they watched from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The images of the shot are, without a doubt, indelible, but one in particular stands out. An image captured by Garrett Ellwood of Getty Images perfectly crystalized the moment, per The Athletic.
Haliburton made the shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock as the Pacers won 111-110. Indiana trailed by 15 points in the 4th quarter but cut it to 9 points with under three minutes left in the game.
The Pacers are up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. Haliburton’s ability to rise to the occasion in big moments has become commonplace.
In turn, he has evoked comparisons to Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who was known for hitting big shots in the clutch during the 1990s. The images of him giving the “choke sign” to Knicks superfan Spike Lee in 1994, as well as scoring 6 points in 8 seconds in 1995, live on forever.
If the Pacers win the title, ultimately, those comparisons between Haliburton and Miller would be hotly debated.
But they do have at least one thing in common: they seem to know exactly where to be.
Tyrese Haliburton is at the right place at the right time.
In this postseason, Haliburton hit another big shot. He hit a miraculous buzzer-beater against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The ball hit the back iron, floated in the air for a moment, and then proceeded to drop into the net. During his moment of celebration, Haliburton proceeded to give the “choke sign” to Knicks fans, echoing Miller.
The Pacers forced overtime and went on to win 138-135. So far, Haliburton has hit five other big shots with less than five seconds left in this postseason.
At this point, Haliburton is tied with Miller for such a feat. If he continues, he could be on pace to pass LeBron James for the most clutch moments in playoff history, who has 8.
Undoubtedly, more Kodak moments will materialize if that happens.
The post This is the coldest photo of Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner you’ll see appeared first on ClutchPoints.
