"We Were Down the Whole Game... Then Tyrese Happened"
The Indiana Pacers just pulled off the ultimate "hold my Gatorade" moment in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Trailing the entire game—including by 15 in the 4th—they somehow snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when Tyrese Haliburton buried a game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans went from "We got this!" to "Wait, what just happened?!" in record time.
How Did Indiana Survive This Mess?
1. The Thunder’s Shooting Was... Not Great
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SGA dropped 38, but needed 30 shots to get there. That’s MVP efficiency? More like "Most Volume Player."
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OKC took 16 more shots than Indiana... and still lost. Math isn’t mathing.
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As a team, they shot 39.8%—brutal for a Finals game.
2. Pacers’ 3-Point Sniper Show
While OKC bricked, Indiana rained fire from deep:
✅ 18/39 from three (46.2%)
✅ Obi Toppin (bench mob hero) hit 5 threes
✅ Six Pacers in double figures—true team basketball.
3. Turnovers? What Turnovers?
Indiana had 25 turnovers (a season-high disaster), but OKC refused to punish them. If this were a regular-season game, Rick Carlisle would’ve spontaneously combusted on the sideline.
The Final Minute: Chaos Mode Activated
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SGA missed a pull-up two that would’ve put OKC up 3.
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Haliburton (who was quiet all night) said "Fine, I’ll do it myself" and hit the coldest shot of his life.
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Thunder fans immediately Googled "how to unsee a basketball play."
What’s Next?
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OKC’s Adjustments: They can’t shoot this poorly again... right?
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Indiana’s Momentum: If Haliburton wakes up, this could get scary.
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Game 2 Prediction: Either a Thunder blowout (revenge mode) or another cardiac Pacers finish.
Your Take:
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Was this a fluke, or are the Pacers legit?
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Can SGA be more efficient in Game 2?
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Should OKC be worried?