May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after game six of the eastern conference finals against the New York Knicks for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tyrese Haliburton Joins Steph Curry in NBA History After Pacers-Thunder Game 1

Originally posted on Golden State Warriors on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 2:40 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 of the NBA Finals from the OKC Thunder 111-110, coming back from down 15 points in the fourth quarter to take the victory. It was their fifth comeback this postseason of 15 points or more, becoming the first team in the play-by-play tracking era to do that in a single postseason.

Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner with 0.3 seconds remaining was the difference, and it was the first time the Pacers held a lead all game. They've consistently found a way to keep themselves in games no matter how much they're losing by.

WHAT THE HALIBURTON AGAIN

TYRESE WINS GAME 1 OF THE NBA FINALS FOR THE PACERS pic.twitter.com/TLv6OtQyWV
— ESPN (@espn) June 6, 2025

Haliburton's game-winner also put him in rare NBA Finals history. It was the last game-winner in the final second since Michael Jordan's in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals.

If you expand that out to a game-tying/winning shot in the final 10 seconds of a game, here is the list: Michael Jordan (1997 Game 1), Steve Kerr (1997 Game 6), Michael Jordan (1998 Game 6), Kobe Bryant (2004 Game 2), Robert Horry (2005 Game 5), Gary Payton (2006 Game 3), Dirk Nowitzki (2006 Game 5), Dwyane Wade (2006 Game 5), Derek Fisher (2009 Game 4), Dirk Nowitzki again (2011 Game 2), Ray Allen (2013 Game 6), and Stephen Curry (2015 Game 2).

Curry's was a game-tying shot to send the game to overtime, as he hit a layup with 8 seconds left. It was the second straight overtime game of the 2015 NBA Finals. Although the Golden State Warriors would go on to lose that game, they would go on to win the series, capturing their first title since 1975.

Haliburton and the Pacers have a 1-0 series lead over the usually dominant OKC Thunder. Game 2 will be on Sunday.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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