Charles Esther
Each Indiana Pacers comeback in this postseason has followed a familiar pattern.
They erase a late, double-digit deficit.
They finish with a clutch shot from Tyrese Haliburton that leaves their opponents stunned.
The latest example of this came Thursday night.
The Pacers shocked the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 111-110 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Haliburton scored the winning shot with only 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
His shot is now one of the latest winning baskets in NBA Finals history.
According to ESPN Research, the last shot that came this late in a Finals game was Michael Jordan’s buzzer-beater in Game 1 of the 1997 Finals against the Utah Jazz.
“As a group, we never think the game is over, ever,” Haliburton said.
“Honestly speaking, ever.”
The Pacers trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter.
This marked the fifth time in this postseason that Indiana has overcome a deficit that large.
It is the most by any team in a single postseason since 1998.
Indiana’s first lead with 0.3 seconds remaining was the latest lead change in any Finals game in the past 50 years.
Haliburton was once again at the centre of the drama.
He made his fourth winning or tying shot in the final five seconds of a game this postseason.
“I don’t know what you say about it, but I know that this group is a resilient group,” Haliburton said.
“And we don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock.”
The Pacers won despite committing 24 turnovers.
This is their highest total of turnovers in this postseason.
They also allowed 38 points to Thunder star and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The loud and passionate home crowd seemed to rattle the Pacers in the first half, which Haliburton admitted caused some “jitters” and turnovers.
In the first half alone, Indiana committed 19 turnovers.
This is the most turnovers by any team in a half during the NBA Finals in the past 35 years.
“If you look at all the numbers, it’s not the recipe to win,” Haliburton admitted.
“We can’t turn the ball over that much.
We have to do a better job of being in gaps, rebounding, all over the floor.
But come May and June, it doesn’t matter how you get them, just get them.”
Six Pacers players scored in double figures.
Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each finished with 14 points.
Obi Toppin added 17 points and nailed five 3-pointers off the bench.
Pascal Siakam led the team with 19 points.
Despite their strong contributions, the Pacers were still trailing by 15 points with 9:42 left in the game.
This comeback tied the largest fourth-quarter rally in Finals history since the Dallas Mavericks did it in Game 2 against the Miami Heat in 2011.
Rick Carlisle was the head coach of both teams during those games.
“We just said, ‘Let’s just keep chipping away at the rock,'” Carlisle said.
“We had a lot of experience in these kinds of games, and our guys have a real good feel for what it’s all about, giving ourselves a chance.
We got fortunate but made plays.”
The Pacers chipped away at the Thunder’s lead with key 3-pointers from Myles Turner, Nembhard, and Toppin.
This set up a one-point game during a replay review with 22.1 seconds left.
During that stoppage, Carlisle told his team not to call a timeout.
He wanted to allow the Thunder to set their defense if Indiana got the ball back after a defensive stop.
Nembhard’s defence forced Gilgeous-Alexander to miss a jumper.
After a rebound by Aaron Nesmith, the Pacers prepared to give the ball to Haliburton.
“I swear as soon as he jumped up to shoot, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s good,'” Nesmith said.
“Every time it’s in his hands in those situations, I just think it’s good.”
This game marked the Pacers’ fourth improbable comeback in these playoffs.
In the first round, they came back from a 118-111 deficit with 34.6 seconds left in overtime to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 119-118.
In the second round, they erased a 119-112 deficit with 48 seconds left to win 120-119 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, they rallied from 121-112 down with 51.1 seconds left to defeat the New York Knicks 138-135 in overtime.
Now, after Thursday’s win, the Pacers lead the NBA Finals 1-0.
It is their first ever series lead in the Finals in franchise history.
Game 2 will be played Sunday night in Oklahoma City.
“It is a 48-minute game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“[The Pacers] teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league, the hard way.”
