Tyrese Haliburton delivered the only lead change of the night, burying a step-back jumper to seal the Indiana Pacers’ 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
After the game, the All-Star guard detailed the mindset behind Indiana’s comeback and his confidence in big moments.
“We’re just a really resilient group,” Haliburton said. “When it gets to 15, you can panic, or you can talk about how to get it to 10, then to five, and from there.”
Indiana committed 25 turnovers and gave up 38 points to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, yet still managed to erase a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit in one of the league’s toughest road arenas.
“There was never a disbelief as a group,” Haliburton said. “Honestly. We never think the game is over.”
With just seconds remaining and no timeout called, Haliburton pulled up from his spot on the right wing. It’s a shot he said he’s taken “a million times” and will keep practicing “a million times more.”
While Haliburton hit the game-winner, he credited teammates Miles Turner and Andrew Nembhard for key defensive stops and hustle plays that kept Indiana in striking distance.
“Miles and Andrew made big play after big play down the stretch,” he said. “We just stuck with it.”
The Pacers also leaned heavily on Nembhard defensively, who spent much of the night matched up with Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We got the utmost confidence in him,” Haliburton said. “Shai’s the hardest guard in the NBA, but Drew’s our guy. He’s done the dirty work for years.”
When asked when belief set in, Haliburton didn’t hesitate.
“When I got off the bus,” he replied. “When I put on my shoes.”
Even with a slow start and what he called “jitters” in the opening quarter, Haliburton credited Indiana’s focus in the second half and their ability to block out a hostile road crowd.
“This is an unbelievable crowd. It really felt like it was just us in there,” he said. “But we lean on each other.”
Indiana trailed by 15 in the final period, but Haliburton emphasized the team’s consistent message: keep chipping away.
“We talk about it all the time—if we can win one quarter by six, one by seven, we’ll be in a great spot.”
Now up 1–0 in the series, Haliburton stressed there’s still more work to be done.
“This is the best team in the NBA. We expect them to respond,” he said. “We’ve got to be ready.”
