There are comebacks, and then there are Indiana Pacers comebacks. The kind that not only makes the whole world stand on its toes but where even the legends lean in and skeptics switch sides, with even Hall of Famers sounding like they’ve stumbled into a spiritual awakening. The 2025 NBA Finals started with a dramatic game in Oklahoma City. It wasn’t just Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beater that stunned viewers; it was the change in attitude it caused across the league.

This is not the first time the Pacers have turned adversity into ammunition. Despite trailing by 15 points entering the final stretch, Indiana successfully reversed the trend, a familiar story in these playoffs. It was their fifth postseason win after trailing by 15 or more. But this game was special because it felt different. It wasn’t just the numbers or Haliburton’s stat line (14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) that stood out. It was the aura of something Paul Pierce, the 2008 NBA champion and longtime Celtics icon, couldn’t ignore as he went on to make some big statements.

What followed was one of the most bizarre and passionate rants ever aired on FS1’s Speak. “I mean, they must come into the locker room with horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, rabbit feet, all of that… goat blood in the jar,” Pierce said, describing the Pacers’ playoff mojo like it was lifted from a horror-comedy script. “I’m a believer. I’m part of the cult now… I’m in the meetings. I’m listening to the sermon.” Beginning as sarcasm, Pierce doubled down on choosing Indiana to win the series in six, turning into a prophetic pivot.

With 0.3 seconds left, Haliburton sank a 21-foot jumper, Indiana’s first and only lead of the game. The shot pierced Pierce’s doubt and not only buried the Thunder. Just days earlier, he had claimed that Haliburton winning a title would mark “the biggest leap to superstardom we’ve ever seen in the NBA.” That prediction suddenly seems to be coming true soon.

Thunder’s Missed Opportunity and the Cult of Clutch Pacers Tyrese Haliburton

While Haliburton’s heroics fueled the cult narrative, Oklahoma City was left with the consequences of collapsing under pressure. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was outstanding—dropping 38 points on the evening—but the team’s inability to seal out yet another double-digit lead calls major questions about postseason maturity. Their stronghold was this one. The top regular season home team. Still, the ghosts of Indiana’s playoff intensity moved in without invitation.

“[The Pacers] just walk teams down,” Haliburton said postgame. That mindset was not formed by chance; it was built throughout 16 postseason games in which the Pacers routinely made the impossible appear easy. Their mix of determination, speed, and now Paul Pierce hilariously claiming superstition could have made them the most chaotic but united Finals underdog in recent memory.

Looking ahead to Game 2 on Sunday, the Thunder must reckon with more than just tactical adjustments, as they are now up against a narrative, a force that has sucked in even the most vocal critics and makes them highly unpredictable on the court. Paul Pierce may have framed it as comedy, but his conversation is emblematic of something deeper. The Pacers aren’t just a finals team anymore; they’ve become a movement, and Haliburton is preaching louder than ever.