Tyrese Haliburton and the never-say-die Indiana Pacers pulled off yet one more last-second comeback, this time on the NBA’s greatest stage.
Haliburton’s 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its first and solely lead of the sport, and the Pacers surprised the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 111-110 on Thursday evening in Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals after a comeback for the ages.
“Man, basketball’s enjoyable,” Haliburton stated. “Profitable is enjoyable.”
Particularly like this.
The Pacers turned the ball over 25 occasions, trailed by 15 factors within the fourth quarter in opposition to a workforce with the very best dwelling report within the NBA and had no solutions for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the NBA MVP who led all scorers with 38 factors.
However they’d the league’s new Mr. Huge Shot, who has now had certainly one of these moments in each collection the Pacers have performed in these playoffs.
— April 29, Indiana trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in extra time. Haliburton scored with 1.4 seconds remaining and the Pacers gained 119-118.
— Could 6, Indiana trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left and gained 120-119. Haliburton bought the game-winner with 1.1 seconds to play.
— Could 21, Indiana trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation. Haliburton despatched it to extra time on a jumper with no time on the clock; Indiana gained 138-135.
Now, this.
“We’ve had a number of expertise in these sorts of video games,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated.
The Pacers had been down by 15 with 9:42 left, their rally the most important within the fourth quarter of a finals recreation since Dallas additionally got here from 15 all the way down to beat Miami on June 2, 2011.
Carlisle coached these Mavericks. And, properly, right here he’s once more.
“That’s a very good workforce,” Oklahoma Metropolis coach Mark Daigneault stated. “Credit score them for not solely tonight however their run. They’ve had so many video games like that which have appeared inconceivable. And so they simply play with an awesome spirit and so they hold coming. They hold taking part in.”
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 factors. Obi Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard every had 14.
Jalen Williams had 17 and Lu Dort scored 15 for Oklahoma Metropolis, which was 36-1 at dwelling with 15-point leads this season.
Recreation 2 is at Oklahoma Metropolis on Sunday evening.
Oklahoma Metropolis led by 15 early within the fourth when Carlisle known as time and subbed out all 5 gamers, in search of a spark. It labored. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 15-4 over the following 3:26 — getting inside 98-94 on a 3 by Turner with 6:16 left.
They weren’t achieved. And within the remaining second, they discovered a manner. Once more.
“We had management of the sport for probably the most half,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “Now, it’s a 48-minute recreation. And so they educate you that lesson greater than anybody else within the league — the exhausting manner.”
