The Indiana Pacers entered Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder as 9.5-point underdogs.
Considered 5-1 underdogs to defeat the Thunder, the Pacers used that knowledge as fuel. "I don't think we expect anyone to pick us," Pacers forward and Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam told reporters.
"It's been that way the whole playoffs. The whole season. Nothing for us changes. We just continue to be ourselves, focus on us. It's always been us against everyone."
Down 15 points in the fourth quarter, things looked grim for Indiana. However, the Pacers clawed their way back and Tyrese Haliburton clinched the upset with yet another incredible game-winning shot.
Tyrese Haliburton in Game 1 of The NBA Finals.
Tyrese Haliburton
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
With .3 seconds left in regulation, Haliburton hit a 21-foot jumper for two points, giving the Pacers their first lead of the matchup.
Haliburton finished the night with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. It wasn't his best game at all, Haliburton said so after the game, but his clutch shot gave the Pacers a huge win on the road.
The 25-year-old guard also made NBA history. OptaStat's Greg Harvey posted, "NBA players in the play-by-play era to record 3 game-winning shots with 5 or fewer seconds left in the game in a single playoff run: 2025 Tyrese Haliburton."
Haliburton scored the game-winning shot to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round the playoffs and he did it again against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Haliburton also drilled the game-tying shot as the clock expired against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers went on to win the matchup and eliminated the Knicks in six games.
The Pacers will look to keep the momentum going against the Thunder in Game 2 on June 8.