The Indiana Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Pacers took their first and only lead of the game with the final shot made in the game. Tyrese Haliburton has once again shocked the NBA world with a game-winner in the Playoffs.
Following the game, Haliburton spoke to the media about their Game 1 victory. A reporter asked him what the “secret sauce” was that had fueled the Pacers’ run in these Playoffs.
“I think as a group, like I’ve said many times, you know, after you have a run like last year and then you get swept in the eastern conference finals and all the conversation is about is how you don’t belong there and how you lucked out to get there, and that it was a fluke. Guys are going to be off. We’re going to spend the summer off, and then you come into the year with all the talk around how it was a fluke. You have an unsuccessful first couple of months, and now that’s easy for everybody to clown you and talk about you in a negative way.”
“And I think as a group, we take everything personal, like as a group, it’s not just me, it’s everybody. You know, I feel like that’s the DNA of this group. And that’s not just me, that’s— our coaching staff does a great job of making us aware of what’s being said. Us, as players, we talk about it in the locker room, we talk about it on the plane. We’re a young team, so we probably spend more time on social media than we should, but I just think we do a great job of taking things personal, and that gives this group more confidence, you know? And we turn things around in January, which you guys know, and we just stuck with it.”
This marks the fourth time this season that Haliburton has either tied or won the game in the final five seconds for the Pacers. He ties Reggie Miller with five such successful attempts since 1997. LeBron James tops this list with 8 such game-tying or winning field goals in his career. The fact that the other two did it over multiple seasons while Haliburton did four of his five in a single season makes it a noteworthy run from Haliburton.
The Pacers themselves are having quite an impressive run in the Playoffs in terms of comeback wins. This Game 1 win over the Thunder was the fifth time this season where the Pacers came back from a 15-point or more deficit. The chip on the Pacers’ shoulder has helped them fuel this run to the NBA finals. But can it help them win it all? They have certainly taken the step in the right direction to say yes to that question.
