Tyrese Haliburton nailed the buzzer-beater to cap off a 14-point comeback for the Pacers against the Knicks to tie the game at 125-125 and force overtime. The Pacers went on a 20-6 run in the final 2:30 of regulation time and eventually won the game 138-135. With this buzzer-beater, Haliburton found himself tied for third on the list for most game-tying or go-ahead shots made in the final five seconds of the game (since 1997).
Elite company 👀 pic.twitter.com/dT0wuwNKS7
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 22, 2025
This list is led by LeBron James (8 shots), followed by Reggie Miller (5 shots). Then Haliburton is tied with Kobe Bryant and Khris Middleton on 3rd with 4 shots made in clutch moments. This 14-point run marked the third time in these playoffs where the Pacers pulled off a 7-point+ comeback in the final minute of the game and eventually won. Haliburton finished the game with 31 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds.
What Tyrese Haliburton Did After Buzzer Beater In Game 1 ECF
Haliburton tracked back on a drive in during the final possession in an attempt to make the three-point shot to win the game. When the shot went in, Haliburton put his hands on his neck to do the choke sign celebration to pay an ode to Reggie Miller, who was present in the building as a commentator from the sidelines.
tyrese haliburton doing the reggie miller choke at MSG and then pointing to him in the crowd is why sports are awesome pic.twitter.com/2VLcviVRU0
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) May 22, 2025
This celebration was a tribute to Miller’s 1994 playoff series celebration against the Knicks when he nailed the game-tying three-point shot and did the same thing. However, Haliburton had not yet realized that his toe was touching the line, and it was counted as a two to tie the game. As a result, Haliburton felt his misconception led him to waste the opportunity of doing that celebration properly.
“Everybody’s been wanting me to do it. I was going to hold it for the right time, that felt appropriate. And then, you know it went to overtime, so we’re going to have to save it for later,” said Haliburton after the game.
This Reggie Miller point to Tyrese Haliburton is everything. pic.twitter.com/p2OEZaGdA7
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 22, 2025
“I wasn’t like plotting on it or anything, I just… Everybody wanted me to do it like last year, at some different point, but it’s just got to, it’s got to feel right, and it felt right at the time… If I would have known it was a two, I would not have done it. So I think I might have wasted it. If I do it again, then people might say I’m aura farming, so I’m not; I don’t plan on using it again”, said Haliburton when asked when he planned to do Reggie Miller’s celebration.
WHAT A SHOT BY TYRESE HALIBURTON 🤯🤯🤯 https://t.co/8wEwdkeRwZ pic.twitter.com/s497GwRWi9
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2025
This is the second season in a row where the Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Haliburton has averaged 18.7 points, 9.5 assists, and 5.4 rebounds in 11 games in this season’s playoffs. He is on the verge of cementing his name among the all-time greats of the Pacers if he manages to help the Pacers beat the Knicks and go to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.
