With ten seconds remaining in Game One of the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers found themselves down by one point. The ball found Tyrese Haliburton’s hands as it had several times before in the 2025 NBA Playoffs down the stretch of clutch games. Haliburton dribbled down the court, stumbled a bit, and rose straight up for a midrange shot right over Cason Wallace: drilling it with 0.3 seconds remaining. The Oklahoma City Thunder would get one last chance, but Alex Caruso threw the ball away.

Tyrese Haliburton’s Clutch Genes Take Over

On the season, Haliburton was 12-14 on shots to tie or take the lead with under two minutes remaining, so his clutch factor should come as no surprise to Pacers fans. But in the playoffs, Haliburton now has a game winner in every series that he has played so far. A layup in Game Five to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, A stepback jumper in Game Two versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a similar step back jumper in Game One against the Knicks that took a friendly bounce.

Now, Tyrese Haliburton is tied with Reggie Miller for most go-ahead or game-tying field goals in the final five seconds or overtime in the playoffs since 1997. The only player ahead of Haliburton is Lebron James with eight, but Haliburton has four made shots in the 2025 NBA Playoffs alone.

Aftermath Of Game One: What’s Next For Tyrese Haliburton And The Finals?

It was an all-around team effort for the Pacers as Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, and Obi Toppin all scored over ten points. Haliburton finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, along with a game winner. As for the Thunder, Luguentz Dort scored 17 points and Jalen Williams scored 17 points behind Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38 points.

After coming back from down 15, the Pacers now sit in control of the series with a 1-0 lead and steal home court advantage. The Thunder will look to bounce back on Sunday, June 8th at 8:00 p.m. after losing heartbreakingly.