Indiana TV Station Apologizes After Cutting Away From Pacers’ Comeback In Finals Opener

WPTA, the area’s ABC station, abruptly cut away from the final moments of the Pacers’ 111–110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, leaving viewers briefly in the dark during the game’s most critical possession. The station quickly apologized Friday, calling the error a technical mishap.

“We sincerely apologize for the brief interruption during the NBA game broadcast,” said Chris Fedele, WPTA’s vice president and general manager, in a statement to The Athletic. “A technical issue in our master control inadvertently triggered the start of our 11:00 PM newscast. The issue was resolved within 24 seconds, and viewers were able to see Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot.”

The glitch occurred with just over a minute remaining, shortly after Pascal Siakam blocked a driving layup attempt by Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As the Pacers took possession and began pushing the ball upcourt, trailing 110-107, WPTA unexpectedly cut to a teaser for its late newscast.

By the time the broadcast returned to the game, Indiana had trimmed the lead to one, and Haliburton was seconds away from delivering the buzzer-beating dagger. His shot with 0.3 seconds left capped yet another comeback for the Pacers, who now lead the series 1–0.

Echoes of the “Heidi Game”

The incident quickly sparked comparisons to the infamous “Heidi Game” of 1968, when NBC abruptly ended its broadcast of a tight Raiders-Jets matchup in favor of the scheduled children’s movie “Heidi,” causing East Coast viewers to miss a furious Oakland comeback.

Fortunately for Pacers fans, this time the station cut back in time to catch the most important moment — but not without some heartburn.

For a team that’s turned late-game chaos into a calling card, the broadcast snafu was fitting, if also frustrating.

Indiana will look to take a 2–0 lead Sunday night. Local viewers are hoping the game stays on-air this time.