Trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder by 15 points in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals means the game’s over for most teams. Well, unless you’ve got Tyrese Haliburton among your ranks like the Pacers. Tonight, he and his team mounted a historic comeback, complete with a last-second game-winner from their 25-year-old point guard. But the reason Hali gave for his incredible showing tonight was as unexpected as the Pacers’ comeback itself!

A quick look at the past will tell you that Tyrese Haliburton has made draining clutch game-winners into a habit during this postseason. First, there was that step back 3 he hit against the Cavs to go 2-0 up against them. Then, he pulled out the Reggie Miller celly against the Knicks, albeit after a game-tying shot. So, what’s his secret sauce? Well, a reporter asked him about it.

And Tyrese Haliburton says it’s his shoes — the Puma Hali 1s. “Secret sauce was these,” said Hali, pointing to his first-ever signature sneakers. Of course, he was kidding when he said this. But you can’t deny that it was an insane way to debut his signature sneakers. Moreover, it’s incredibly good marketing for the sportswear giant carrying a market cap of $3.67 billion. And it all started with Hali’s social media posts.

The Pacers’ point guard had shared a couple of cryptic posts on Instagram. But right before tonight’s game, Hali finally revealed what he and Puma had cooked up — the Puma Hali 1s in the “Hibiscus” colorway. These sneakers were designed by Salehe Bembury to coincide with Tyrese’s first NBA Finals appearance. But if you’re a fan, sadly, you will need to wait till September before you can see if these kicks can give you a bag like Tyrese.

But in all seriousness, tonight, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers showed incredible grit and determination to claw back from a 15-point deficit. And in doing so, they became the first team in NBA history to win a game after trailing by more than 9 points in the final 5 minutes of an NBA game per Sportscenter. 183 teams have been in this situation since 1971, and only the Pacers were able to come away with a win.

After Hali was done talking up his shoes, he revealed his and the Pacers’ mindset as they attempted to mount a comeback. And after hearing it, you’ll begin to grasp how they were able to make history the way they did tonight.

Tyrese Haliburton reveals how the Pacers came together as a group tonight

Last year, the Indiana Pacers made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, outperforming everyone’s expectations of them. However, they got swept in that series by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics. This led to shouts of their Playoff run being a fluke. And this was what rubbed Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates the wrong way.

So, the Pacers have had a chip on their shoulders throughout the postseason. This drive to prove themselves was invaluable tonight in helping the Pacers make history. And Hali acknowledged this in the post-game press conference. He explained how all this had him and his teammates “pissed off.” He then expounded on how taking these slights personally helped their mindset.

“I think as a group, we take everything personal. Like, as a group, it’s not just me, it’s everybody. I feel like that’s the DNA of this group… Our coaching staff does a great job of making us aware of what’s being said. Us, as players, we talk about it in the locker room, we talk about it on the plane. We’re a young team, so we probably spend more time on social media than we should. But I just think we do a great job of taking things personal. And that gives this group more confidence,” revealed Tyrese Haliburton.

Tyrese’s words here belie a simple message to his haters: Keep talking, and the Pacers will keep proving you wrong. They did it against the East’s top seed — the Cavs. They did it against the Knicks, finally winning their first Eastern Conference Finals since the days of Reggie Miller. And now, they’re one step closer to winning an NBA championship with a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals; it just goes to show how resilient this group is. And we can’t wait to see what they bring in Game 2 on Sunday!