The Indiana Pacers might’ve just committed a playoff heist worthy of an ESPN 30 for 30. Trailing by nine with under three minutes left in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, they turned the tables on the Oklahoma City Thunder like they were flipping pancakes on a Sunday morning. And at the center of this chaos stood Tyrese Haliburton, whose game-winning shot was smoother than a Ray Allen corner three — and just as deadly.

Let’s be honest — that final shot looked like it came straight from a Disney script. The clock winding down. One-point deficit. Enter Haliburton. Boom. Nothing but net. Pacers 111, Thunder 110. And while the basketball world was busy collapsing into memes and montages, the Thunder locker room went into immediate reflection mode. One of the biggest debates after the game? Why wasn’t Lu Dort, OKC’s certified perimeter pit bull, guarding Haliburton on that final play? Fans expected Dort to be there, breathing down Tyrese’s neck like he was guarding James Harden in 2020 again. But the Thunder went with 21-year-old Cason Wallace, and Lu didn’t question it.

“Would I have liked to be on the last shot? Honestly, no,” Dort said. “We have a lot of guys on our team who can really defend, and Cason Wallace is definitely one of them. He’s one of the best defenders in the league, and we all had full confidence in him.”

Respect. That’s a vet recognizing talent. Cason Wallace may be new to the NBA, but the kid defends like his 2K badge is permanently set to Hall of Fame Clamps. Haliburton just hit a tough shot. Period. Now, let’s talk Alex Caruso. The bald-headed bandit with five steals and a Master’s degree in Hustleology gave one of the realest postgame answers you’ll ever hear.

“Yeah, I was kind of in between two decisions,” Caruso admitted. “I wish I had looked at the clock a little sooner, I didn’t feel like there was a strong level of help defense behind me… I just decided to peel off and box out, because honestly, over my career, I’ve probably lost more games on second-chance points at the buzzer than on guys hitting game-winners.”

Imagine being stuck in a basketball version of “Would You Rather?” Do you double Haliburton and risk a pass? Or do you let him cook and hope the pan burns? Unfortunately for Caruso, Tyrese had the stove on high, and the Thunder got singed. Let’s not sugarcoat this — Tyrese Haliburton is HIM. The dude moves like he’s playing chess while everyone else is stuck on Connect Four. In Game 1, he looked composed even when Indiana had more turnovers than a bakery. That’s no exaggeration — 19 turnovers in the first half alone. At that point, most teams are mentally packing bags and checking Cancun weather.

But Haliburton? He kept saying what every anime protagonist says right before the final boss fight: “As a group, we never think the game is over. Honestly speaking, ever.”

And boy, did that belief pay off. His shot didn’t just give the Pacers the win — it also marked their fifth comeback from a 15+ point deficit in these playoffs, the most in a single postseason since 1998. Tyrese might just have Larry Bird sending him ghost high-fives from the heavens right now.

Thunder Locker Room: Down, But Not Out

Was the Thunder locker room devastated after the loss? Of course. They led 108-99 with 2:36 remaining. Then scored just one bucket in the final 2:52. The offense went colder than Ben Simmons in the fourth quarter.

Isaiah Hartenstein called it like he saw it: “You’re mad, you get over those emotions… The only thing you can really control is like, you go to the facts of what you did wrong, how you get better at them, and that’s what we’re focused on.” Facts over feelings — the Thunder might need that tattooed on the walls. While reports said Chet Holmgren was furious after the loss, the locker room isn’t about to fall apart like the 2012 Lakers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even reminded reporters this isn’t new territory: “We lost Game 1. We’ve lost Game 1 before. On the other side of that, we came out a better team.” Jalen Williams channeled his inner Dwyane Wade postgame: “We have been here before. Obviously, in the Denver series, around the same thing to be totally honest. We’ll get back to 0-0 and look at what we can do to get better.”

Let’s not forget: OKC did lose Game 1 to Denver in the Conference Semis. And then won 4 of the next 6. Just like that time LeBron went down 3-1 in 2016 and turned the world upside down. Teams that grow through losses often become the ones lifting trophies in June.

But here’s the brutal truth: since 2000, only 1 out of 4 road teams that stole Game 1 in the Finals have gone on to win the title. And only 22.1% of teams down 0-1 come back to win the series at all.

With Game 2 looming, the question isn’t just about OKC’s response. It’s about Tyrese Haliburton. Can he keep this level of poise? Can he continue being the calm in the playoff storm? Because if he can — if — the Pacers might just pull off the biggest NBA Finals surprise since Dirk ran through Miami in 2011.

Either way, one thing is guaranteed: Game 2 is going to be a war. The Thunder are pissed. The Pacers are confident. And somewhere, Tyrese Haliburton is quietly sharpening his dagger again.