One NBA team caused 24 turnovers and led for 46 minutes and 26 seconds. You’d be right to assume that team won. But that’s not what happened Thursday night.
The presumed winning team was the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Instead, the Indiana Pacers won … with only .3 seconds left on the clock.
Tyrese Haliburton (photo courtesy CBS Sports)
The Pacers’ Historic Run to the Finals: The Pacers started the postseason swinging, beating the Bucks 4-1 in the first round. In Game Five, they toppled a seven-point deficit with 40 seconds left. Tyrese Haliburton got the game-winning layup on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers headed into their next series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell, the 1st seed in the East. The Pacers won that series 4-1 as well. In a similar fashion, the Pacers came back in the final minutes of Game 2 to win the game with another Tyrese Haliburton game-winner. After beating the #1 team in the East, they matched up against their biggest rivals, the New York Knicks, with their stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Pacers had their longest Playoff series so far against the Knicks, beating them 4-2. In Game 1–down 105-119 in the fourth quarter with 2:39 left on the clock–the Pacers had one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history. Aaron Nesmith hit some clutch threes to get the Pacers back into the game, and the Knicks missed key free throws. Then, Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-tying shot to bring it to overtime, and the Pacers outlasted the Knicks to win Game 1. Through the first three series, the Pacers have proven to everyone that they aren’t just a team that lands in the playoffs; they have shown that they are a great team and should never be counted out in any game.
Obi Toppin (photo, WDTN.com)
The Pacers Steal Finals Game 1: The first half was dominated by the Thunder from start to finish. Offensively, they scored at will and suffocated the Pacers defensively, causing 19 turnovers in one half and leading by 12. The Pacers came out in the second half and started to play better, having fewer turnovers. The lead stayed consistent til around the hallway through the 4th quarter, growing to 15. Then the Pacers came back slowly, but surely. With 22 seconds left and the Thunder leading by one, SGA sized up Nembhard, shot, and missed. Haliburton then dribbles up the court, reads the defense, takes a pull-up mid-range, and sinks it. Once again, the Pacers erase a massive lead, and Haliburton hits the clutch shot. While Hali hit the game-winner and deserves praise, other Pacers get huge credit, too. Nembhard hit huge shots late and had the task of guarding the NBA’s MVP. Toppin hit massive threes, and it seemed like any time the Thunder were about to put away the game, the Pacers would (sorry) keep pace.
Conclusion: While the Pacers shocked the world by winning Game 1, it takes four wins to take the series. That said, in Game 1, Indiana played one of its worst games in the playoffs … and still won. So what now? Indiana must limit turnovers and play their style of basketball. The Thunder are a fantastic team, so mistakes are costly. That said, if Indiana can sustain what got it to this point, this series will end up being one for the history books.
Sick article—crazy how the Pacers keep coming back and winning at the last second