The Big Lead

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton delivers clutch NBA Finals game-winner to beat Thunder

Nobody understands how they keep doing it, but the Indiana Pacers are now three games away from winning their first NBA championship.

By Matt Reed

Indiana Pacers stars Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin celebrate against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals
Indiana Pacers stars Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin celebrate against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The Indiana Pacers are having one of the truly historic NBA Playoffs runs in the history of the league, and after stealing Game 1 from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night NBA viewers need to start seriously entertaining the idea of this team winning their first championship in franchise history.

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Tyrese Haliburton and Co. were sloppy for long portions of the game against the Thunder, but just they've proven to be throughout the entire NBA Playoffs, the Pacers clutched up when it mattered most, including their star guard in the final seconds of Game 1.

Haliburton delivered the game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock, while absolutely stunning Oklahoma City fans on their home floor. The amazing thing about what Haliburton is doing is that he's been able to replicate these clutch performances in every single round of the playoffs so far.

In the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, it was Haliburton who hit an overtime winner to secure the series. While facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Indiana star missed a free throw before grabbing his own rebound and draining a dagger three-pointer to put the Pacers up 2-0 before going on to beat the number one seed in the East.

Meanwhile, his performance against the New York Knicks was eerily similar, when he dribbled back out and got off a game-tying jumper that had Madison Square Garden absolutely silent. All Haliburton has shown throughout the playoffs is that he's making a strong case as the most clutch player in the league at the moment.

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