The Indiana Pacers stunned the basketball world on Friday night when they picked up a last-second 111-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left in the game, causing fans everywhere to flip out over his latest display of clutch shooting in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. That group of people included former Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade.
In a postseason where Haliburton has already hit several extremely clutch shots, he hit easily the biggest shot of his life to give Indiana a 1-0 lead in the 2025 NBA Finals. And with these plays, Haliburton has continued to cement himself as a “superstar,” which is what Wade jovially referred to him as after his huge shot in Game 1.
Tyrese Haliburton Responds to Dwyane Wade
While the Pacers managed to scrape out a win in Game 1, it was certainly not their best performance of these playoffs. Indiana committed a Finals record 19 turnovers in the first half, which helped Oklahoma City build a double-digit point lead that they managed to hold for the majority of the game.
Of course, this postseason has proven that no lead is safe, especially when you are playing the Pacers. They gradually chipped away at the Thunder’s lead in the fourth quarter, before the ball found its way into Haliburton’s hands with Indiana down by one point and the shot clock turned off. Sure enough, he nailed a deep midrange jumper, giving the Pacers their first lead of the game with less than a second left on the clock.
Wade was one of many folks who was freaking out after seeing Haliburton’s shot, and his reaction was caught on camera. After seeing the high praise he received from Wade, Haliburton offered a heartwarming response to the former Finals MVP, saying that receiving his support meant the world to him.
“It’s well-documented I was a big Heat fan in that ‘Heatles’ era, and D Wade’s a guy I’ve gotten to know pretty well through our agency and stuff, so that means the world, because that’s definitely a guy I’ve looked up to my whole life. Him showing love is pretty cool,” Haliburton said in a video posted on the NBA’s official X account.
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers Looking to Take Control of 2025 NBA Finals in Game 2
GettyTyrese Haliburton called game during the NBA Finals opener.
With his latest clutch shot, Haliburton has helped put the Pacers in the driver’s seat early against the Thunder. Not only did they manage to steal home-court advantage for the remainder of the series, but they also picked up a win in a game where they did not play their best basketball. If Indiana can put together some more complete outings moving forward, Oklahoma City could be in serious trouble.
While the Pacers already achieved their goal of stealing a game in enemy territory, they have bigger goals now heading into Game 2, as they are looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before returning home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana will be back in action on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET, and they have a prime opportunity to put OKC on the ropes very early in this series.
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