The Oklahoma City Thunder did not see it coming! For the entirety of the game, the Indiana Pacers trailed behind the Thunder. With less than a second left on the clock, Haliburton pulled up and aimed at a deep two. The shot was perfectly in line with the rim, no blockages, going straight into the basket.
In the post-game interview, the Pacers’ point guard radiated joy, saying, “Basketball is just pure fun, man. Nothing beats winning like this”. The 25-year-old star athlete goes on to reveal the “secret sauce” that drives him and the team.
Tyrese Haliburton Gets Honest About the Pacers’ ‘Secret Sauce’
Yes, the secret sauce. Something that drives the Pacers towards glory, something that’s been driving them through the postseason, diving in deep for last-minute shots and wins. This is what Tyrese had to say.
“After you have a run like last year,” Haliburton said. “And you get swept in 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 pissed off.”
“We do a great job of taking things personal, and that gives this group more confidence.” 🗣️
Tyrese Haliburton says Pacers spent last Summer “pissed off” and explains how they stay motivated in the face of doubt. pic.twitter.com/S7Kt4XSuJb
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 6, 2025
In the 2023-24 season, the Pacers made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They were strong, energetic, and powerful. But eventually, the Boston Celtics caught on and swept Indiana. Haliburton only played in the series’ first two games, owing to his hamstring issue—a tough memory they brought with them this season.
Despite that loss, there was always a taste of hope on their tongues for the future this young team looked forward to. And it looked promising. Haliburton and the ‘guys’ have made Indy their home and made winning the Finals their ultimate goal. They will not have it easy against the OKC Thunder, but they’ve reached so far and are confident enough to march to the end point.
“And I think as a group, we take everything personal. 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. We do a great job of taking things personal, and that gives this group more confidence.”
Hali now has five such shots where he has either tied the game or taken the lead in just the final three seconds remaining in the postseason games. Only LeBron James has made more shots than him. But that’s across different seasons. Hali has made four such clutch shots in this postseason alone, exceeding any other player’s career total.
Indy’s 15-point last quarter comeback is the biggest in the NBA Finals history in the last five decades. With that, the Pacers have taken a 1-0 lead and stolen OKC’s home-court advantage. Of course, with that kind of insanity, the people were left in disbelief.
HALIBURTON WINS GAME 1 FOR THE PACERS.
THEY TRAILED BY 15.
ANOTHER CRAZY INDIANA COMEBACK 🚨 https://t.co/heI0ELIivW pic.twitter.com/1Qr6XlDbA7
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2025
Along with team effort and resilience, the right coaching took the team all the way. “We got the stop and coach trusts us in those moments to not call a timeout”, Haliburton said, adding that, coach “trusts me in those moments.”
