'We Are Playing With House Money': Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers Embrace Underdog Role After Game 1 Finals Win

Oklahoma City had led the entire game until Haliburton’s final shot. The Thunder entered Game 1 an NBA-best 36–1 this season when leading by 15 points or more at home. They led by 15 early in the fourth quarter and still held a nine-point edge with under three minutes to play.

But Haliburton and the Pacers kept coming.

“We’re just a really resilient group,” Haliburton said postgame. “We don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock.”

Indiana closed the game on a 12–2 run, with Haliburton calmly drilling the game-winner after collecting an outlet pass from Obi Toppin.

“I had a good idea [it was going in], yeah,” he said with a smile.

Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and one block on 6-of-13 shooting in 39 minutes, adding another clutch moment to a postseason that has seen him repeatedly deliver late-game heroics.

“This group never believes the game is over, ever,” Haliburton said. “That never creeps in.”

Indiana Pacers’ Resilient Identity Rooted in Underdog Mentality

Indiana’s ability to stay composed under pressure has become a defining trait of its playoff run.

The Pacers entered the postseason having been doubted at every turn. They were the lower seed in each of their last two series but knocked off the 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers in five games and the 51-win New York Knicks in six, with Haliburton’s late-game poise pivotal throughout.

He credits the team’s collective mindset — and the chip on their shoulders from last year’s playoff exit.

“You have a run like last year and get swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, and all the conversation is about how you don’t belong there and how you lucked out to get there,” Haliburton said. “Guys are going to be pissed off. We’re going to spend the summer pissed off.”

“We take everything personal as a group,” he added. “It’s not just me. It’s everybody. That gives this group more confidence.”

Haliburton admitted that the Finals stage did create some early nerves — “I felt like I was a little jittery in the first quarter” — but once the Pacers found their footing, their belief never wavered.

“We never think the game is over,” he said. “Ever.”

Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers Expect OKC Thunder Response in Game 2

While the Game 1 comeback was exhilarating, Haliburton knows the work is far from done, especially against an Oklahoma City team that finished the regular season with 68 wins and boasts league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured in 38 points in the opener.

“This is the best team in the NBA,” Haliburton said. “They don’t lose often. We expect them to respond. We’ve got to be prepared for that.”

Still, the Pacers aren’t backing down — and they’re thriving in their underdog role.

“The more that’s talked about — like right now, we’re whatever underdog — that gives us more confidence as a group,” Haliburton said. “We enjoy that.”

As the series continues, one thing is clear: with Haliburton leading the way, Indiana’s “house money” mentality makes them a dangerous opponent.