“You heard it from me first. Tonight is ours.” That’s what John Haliburton boldly declared before the opening tip of Game 1. And sure enough, his son backed it up. Underdogs? Down at halftime? Didn’t matter. Just like they stunned the Knicks at MSG in Game 1 of the Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers walked into the Paycom Center and stole Game 1 of the NBA Finals. And at the heart of it all—clutch as ever—was Tyrese Haliburton. Now, fans, legends, and athletes alike are all echoing the same sentiment. John didn’t just call it—he might’ve just gone full prophet.

“Tyrese Haliburton does it again!!! 🤯.” The first tweet from Magic Johnson was only a few words. He couldn’t believe what had transpired. Even Caitlin Clark had a similar reaction to the legend. “YOU CANT MAKE IT UP 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.” Just one point separated the two teams, with just 0.3 seconds remaining. Tyrese Haliburton hit a mid-range jumper from 21 feet away from the basket, thus the Pacers came back from a 15-point deficit in the second half to win the game. Interestingly, all five starters scored double figures, and Toppin added 17 points from the bench.

Magic Johnson added another tweet after a few minutes. “What an incredible shot by Tyrese Haliburton to seal the victory for the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. That was an amazing fourth quarter comeback by the entire Pacers team!” Let’s not forget OKC was in control of the majority of the game, as the Pacers conceded shockingly 24 turnovers. Indiana ended the half with 19 turnovers, having averaged just 12 during the regular season as the third-best team in the league at taking care of the ball.

Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and one block while shooting 6/13 from the field in 39 minutes. Usually, a player who records triple double with zero turnovers, managed to displace the ball over three times. Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith were the major offenders as they gave away the ball 6 and 5 times, respectively. Thanks to OKC’s defense, they created a record like no other in the first half.

The Thunder had 12 first-half steals, the most by any NBA finals half since the play-by-play era (1998). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended the game with 38 points and had 3 steals at halftime. Even Alex Caruso’s defensive abilities were on full display as he had three steals and 2 blocks at the halfway mark.

OKC was in control until Tyrese Haliburton took over

With this shot, Haliburton brought up his third go-ahead shot in the final five seconds of a game this postseason. According to The Athletic’s James Jackson, it’s the most by any player in a single playoff run in the last quarter century. Just like the Pacers struggled with controlling the ball, the Thunder struggled with consistent shooting.

Oklahoma City attempted 16 more field goals than the Pacers but converted on only 39.8% of its 98 shots. Gilgeous-Alexander’s big scoring night was marred by inefficiency, as he hit only 14 of his 30 attempts. It was the 2025 MVP who missed a 10-footer as Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith rebounded and pushed the ball up the court to Haliburton. Then what took place next is all we know. The Pacers were led in scoring by Pascal Siakam, who finished with 19.

That’s why Tyrese Haliburton was confident about this team’s chances. “We are a resilient group. We don’t give up until the clock hits zero,” Haliburton said after the game. “We do a great job of just staying in the moment… We just walk teams down.”The Pacers have overcome five 15-point deficits this postseason alone. So, there is a reason why Haliburton had all the faith in his teammates as they had done this before multiple times.