LeBron James remains the king of clutch when it comes to playoff basketball, still sitting atop the all-time list for most game-tying or go-ahead shots in the final five seconds of playoff games since 1997.
With a record of 8 makes on 20 attempts (40.0%), LeBron has more than double the number of conversions than anyone else. However, there’s a new name emerging as perhaps the most efficient clutch player we’ve ever seen, and his name is Tyrese Haliburton.
1. LeBron James – 8/20 (40.0%)
2. Reggie Miller – 5/9 (55.6%)
3. Tyrese Haliburton – 5/6 (83.3%)
4. Kobe Bryant – 4/18 (22.2%)
5. Khris Middleton – 4/8 (50.0%)
6. Paul Pierce – 3/14 (21.4%)
7. Tim Duncan – 3/12 (25.0%)
8. Manu Ginobili – 3/10 (30.0%)
9. Damian Lillard – 3/10 (30.0%)
10. Ray Allen – 3/8 (37.5%)
11. Jimmy Butler – 3/5 (60.0%)
12. Trae Young – 3/3 (100.0%)
In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Haliburton sank his fifth playoff game-tying or go-ahead shot with under five seconds left, this time with 0.3 seconds on the clock to give the Indiana Pacers a shocking road win and steal homecourt advantage.
It marked his fourth such clutch shot this postseason alone and solidified his standing among the most dangerous late-game assassins in recent memory.
What makes Haliburton’s rise in this statistical category truly terrifying is his efficiency.
He’s now 5-of-6 in those critical playoff moments, good for an unheard-of 83.3%, dwarfing the percentages of legends like Kobe Bryant (22.2%), Tim Duncan (25.0%), Paul Pierce (21.4%), and even Damian Lillard (30.0%).
Only Trae Young (3/3) and Jimmy Butler (3/5, 60.0%) come close to Haliburton’s efficiency, but neither has done it on this stage or at this frequency.
This postseason run has been a clutch masterclass by the 24-year-old guard. He first etched his name onto this elite list in Game 5 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he drilled a shot in the final seconds to take the lead and eventually the win for the Pacers.
TYRESE HALIBURTON GAME WINNER 🚨
HE SENDS THE BUCKS HOME IN GAME 5 pic.twitter.com/3M0HO7cg8y
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 30, 2025
He followed that up in the next series with a dramatic buzzer-beater in Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
TYRESE HALIBURTON WINS GAME 2 FOR THE PACERS 😱🤯
WHAT. A. WILD. PLAY. pic.twitter.com/rFsjZmtrBz
— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2025
In the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, he sent Game 1 to overtime with a cold-blooded shit at the horn.
TYRESE HALIBURTON BUZZER BEATER FORCES OT 🤯🤯🤯
AND HE DID THE CHOKE SIGN TO THE KNICKS!!! pic.twitter.com/0jufr6naNl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 22, 2025
Now, in the Finals, with the basketball world watching, he delivered again with a dagger that may end up changing the outcome of the entire series.
TYRESE MF HALIBURTON NO WAY?!?!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 6, 2025
And it’s not just these buzzer-beating moments that show Haliburton’s growing reputation as a closer. Statistically, he’s shooting 91% this season in all late-game situations where the score is tied or his team is trailing, a mind-boggling number that shows he isn’t just lucky or catching defenses off guard.
He’s systematically picking them apart under pressure and delivering when it counts the most.
LeBron may still be the volume king of playoff clutch shots, but Haliburton’s efficiency is rewriting how we define late-game greatness.
If he keeps this up and continues to add to his tally on the sport’s biggest stage, it won’t be long before the narrative shifts not just to how many he’s made, but how fearlessly he’s made them.
In the battle of playoff nerves, Tyrese Haliburton is proving that calm and killer instinct can coexist.
