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**OKLAHOMA CITY** — This encapsulates the essence of the Indiana Pacers: they manage their play with calculated resilience. They falter momentarily, regroup, stay competitive, flirt with the lead, then push the envelope and allow Tyrese Haliburton to close the door firmly behind them.
This is their identity—tenacious and unwavering, steered by one of the most clutch performers in the game today and throughout this postseason. Anyone with a fleeting memory was served a shocking reminder on this grand stage, away from home, against the league’s most formidable team, as Indiana once again defied the odds.
If the Oklahoma City Thunder were unaware of the Pacers’ grit, they certainly are now—along with a doubtful basketball community that foresaw a lopsided NBA Finals favoring an Oklahoma City squad that showcased its strength throughout a remarkable 68-win campaign.
Instead, after just one match, the advantage belongs to the Pacers following an exhilarating 111-110 triumph, clinched by none other than Haliburton, who continues to leave a path of shattered playoff hopes in his wake. He sealed this victory with a bold pull-up jumper from 21 feet away with just 0.3 seconds left, leaving the Thunder rattled.
Thus, the Haliburton 2025 Late Game Big Shot Tour marches on. First, it was the Bucks, then the Cavaliers, subsequently the Knicks, and now the Thunder in this pivotal moment of his professional journey.
However, the game-winning shot came as a result of a tenacious team that only took the lead when Haliburton’s shot found the net. The Pacers, trailing by 15 points in the fourth quarter, orchestrated yet another comeback, solidifying a trend that has become their trademark. This marks the fifth time during these playoffs they have successfully overturned a 15-point deficit, a rarity in postseason history.
“This team never throws in the towel,” Haliburton stated confidently. “We always keep believing until the final buzzer sounds, and that’s the plain truth. Our confidence as a unit fuels this success.”
Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault remarked, “This reflects who they are as a team.”
As for the details and excitement surrounding the 2025 NBA Finals opener, here are five key insights, starting with the most apparent:
Highlighting the circumstances of his latest triumph begins with a noteworthy decision that underscores Rick Carlisle’s coaching acumen. Following an Aaron Nesmith rebound off a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander miss with just 11 seconds remaining—more on Nesmith shortly—Carlisle opted not to call a timeout. Why stop the momentum to design an obvious play? Why risk a troubled inbounds pass against an OKC defense that posed challenges throughout the night?
Instead, Carlisle chose to maintain the momentum, placing trust in Haliburton to seize the moment.
Carlisle’s faith bore fruit once again. Haliburton rose to the occasion, grasping the urgency of the moment, keeping the Thunder defense in disarray, and coolly executing the go-ahead basket unbothered—my, Cason Wallace was left stranded.
Tyrese Haliburton’s post-game interview followed his game-winning shot in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
“We’ve got a lot of experience in these situations,” Carlisle commented. “We aim to get the ball in his hands as often as we can during critical moments.”
Regarding the shot itself, what more can be said? Haliburton carries an immense confidence for times like this; players who excel in crucial moments seldom fret over potential misses or the repercussions that follow.
“I definitely trust in my abilities,” he noted. “That’s a shot I’ve worked on countless times, and I’ll continue to do so.”
This match was teetering on the edge of getting away from a team that had never fully gained the upper hand. Be it first-game jitters or outstanding defensive pressure from OKC, or perhaps a blend of both, the Pacers often faltered or lost possession outright.
They turned the ball over 19 times in the first half. The Thunder capitalized at every opportunity, with defenders exploiting careless dribbling and disrupting passing lanes. Lu Dort was particularly effective, swiping four steals in the half.
Yet the most unexpected element might not have been Haliburton’s game-winning shot, but rather the Pacers swiftly addressing their mistakes. Had they failed to do so, the game could have slipped beyond their reach. After averaging just 13 turnovers per game throughout the season, they committed only three in the third quarter, allowing the tide to shift in Indiana’s direction.
The Thunder responded briefly when Jalen Williams intercepted an inbound pass and dunked, extending OKC’s lead to 15—their largest of the night—but it gradually dissipated.
“I felt we did an excellent job of methodically chipping away,” Haliburton remarked. “When the lead hits 15, you can either panic or focus on narrowing it down to ten, then five, and continue from there.”
For 47 minutes and 50 seconds, this resembled a typical Gilgeous-Alexander performance—dominating with scores while the Pacers struggled to disrupt his rhythm… that is, until they didn’t.
Repeatedly, Gilgeous-Alexander found his spots, created space, released his shots, and maintained a steady flow. His tally reached 38 points. When OKC sought a critical score in the fourth to stave off a Pacers uprising, he delivered… until it truly counted.
With just 11 seconds left, as the Thunder sensed their grasp on the game slipping, Gilgeous-Alexander managed to break free for a 15-footer…but narrowly missed, hitting only the back rim. The lead was dwindled to a single point. Indiana’s ball. The moment was ripe for Haliburton to step up.
Let’s also acknowledge Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, a fellow Canadian who has known Gilgeous-Alexander for many years, having competed against him in high school and representing the national team together. Nembhard was unyielding during the crucial play, keeping tight coverage on Gilgeous-Alexander and avoiding a foul.
“I think Drew likely understands what Shai is capable of,” stated Pacers center Myles Turner.
Also worth mentioning is that with just 22 seconds remaining, Pascal Siakam failed to recover a loose ball, leaving OKC with 14 seconds on the shot clock. Therefore, Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t simply stall the clock to secure the win.
Regardless, this was a shot he has successfully attempted countless times, a stroke that earned him the Kia MVP award, yet it fell short this time. It’s unfortunate, but it wasn’t an ordinary game in February.
“Basketball has its ups and downs,” he shrugged. “There’s nothing more to be said.”
At the outset of this game, as the Pacers sought stability amidst early struggles, they found it in an unexpected source: a bench player who had been traded by his former team for a couple of second-round picks.
The Knicks are either vacationing on a golf course or at the beach, but they are undoubtedly on the Pacers’ holiday card list due to that deal. As for Obi Toppin, he now stands three wins away from a championship, a situation he helped create with crucial contributions in Game 1. Whenever the Thunder seemed poised to surge forward, Toppin responded with timely three-pointers.
“I’ve dedicated my life to getting to where I am today,” he stated.
He drilled two pivotal three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the comeback gained momentum. In total: 17 points, hitting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds in just 25 minutes on the court.
“His confidence never wavered,” Turner commented. “He started the game with a few turnovers yet managed to make an incredible impact with those three-pointers afterward.”
Even with their efficiency, outstanding point differential, and notable dominance against Eastern teams—having lost just once to the conference before Thursday—the Thunder occasionally struggled with a lingering issue: their inability to close out games.
Reciting fourth-quarter collapses had been a common theme during the regular season. The lingering concern was that this might resurface during the playoffs. While they displayed strength in Game 7 against Denver in the Western Conference semifinals, seemingly exorcising past demons…
Well, not entirely. They forced 19 turnovers in the first half and maintained a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, attempting 16 more shots than their opponents while committing 18 fewer turnovers—typically a formula for success. Yet, they crumbled.
“We played well enough to secure a win,” Alex Caruso remarked. “We simply didn’t finish strong.”
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Shaun Powell has been covering the NBA for over 25 years. You can reach him via email here, explore his archive here, and follow him on X.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA, its teams, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
