Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended in a way no one expected: Patrick Mahomes was stunned by Tyrese Haliburton.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals delivered one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory, as the Indiana Pacers staged an improbable comeback on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder and even Patrick Mahomes was caught by surprise.
The United States stopped to watch the Pacers‘ stunning triumph at the Paycom Center on June 5 as Tyrese Haliburton delivered a game-winning shot with a step-back mid-range jumper with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
It was the first and only lead of the night for the visitors and it came by the slenderest of margins of just one point in a 111-110 result, capping off a relentless rally from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.
And as fans found themselves stunned, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Mahomes also was agasp at what he had just witnessed, despite being a three-time Super Bowl champion, as he reacted to the moment in real-time on his social media platforms.
“Helly!?!?”, Patrick posted to X.com, formerly Twitter, perfectly capturing the mood of fans watching from across the US and all around the world in other basketball hotbeds such as Europe.
Haliburton stars as Pacers sink Thunder
Despite committing 24 turnovers, an alarming number compared to Oklahoma City’s six, the Pacers managed to stay within striking distance thanks to disciplined defense and clutch playmaking.
Haliburton, although not dominant on the scoreboard with only 14 points, proved his value in every other facet of the game and strengthened his case for the NBA MVP award once again. He recorded 10 rebounds and six assists and made the most important shot of the night.
His latest heroics add to his growing reputation as a player built for big moments. He now has four go-ahead field goals in the final five seconds of playoff games. That’s second only to the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.
For a young guard leading a small-market franchise in his first NBA Finals appearance, the company he’s keeping speaks volumes to his mental qualities and ability to handle high pressure moments.
Mahomes, who is no stranger to dramatic finishes and magic moments on the NFL field, reacting by surprise underscored just how big of a shot that was from the 25-year-old Indiana hooper.
This Finals series between the Pacers and Thunder has captured the attention of fans and fellow athletes alike. With two emerging squads representing smaller markets, the matchup brings a fresh narrative to the NBA’s championship stage, and Haliburton’s buzzer-beater has already etched itself into postseason lore.
His shot not only gave the Pacers a 1-0 series lead but also solidified his status as a clutch performer on the NBA’s biggest stage and handed his team an excellent advantage to start the final series of the season with.
News
My Parents Humiliated Me at My Father’s Retirement Dinner Then My Husband Revealed Who He Really Was
Chapter 1: The Nobody My name is Diana Parker. I was thirty-two years old when my mother stood in front of 150 people at my father’s retirement party, leaned into a microphone, and made my marriage the punchline of the…
MY MOTHER TOLD ME NOT TO BRING MY SON TO EASTER AGAIN—THEN MY 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER STOOD UP AND SAID WHAT NONE OF THE ADULTS WOULD
Chapter 1: Don’t Bring Him It happened at a rented folding table covered in deviled egg crumbs, pastel napkins, plastic forks, and the shiny foil wrappers from Easter chocolate. The April wind moved through the dogwood trees behind my aunt’s…
MY FAMILY USED ME AS AN ATM, Until They Sold My Anniversary Gift and Learned I Was Done Paying
Chapter 1: The Good Daughter The smell of peppermint rinse and sterile latex was the permanent weather of my life. As a dentist, I spent my days working inside the smallest rooms of other people’s fear. I knew the exact…
MY HUSBAND GAVE ME AN “ALLOWANCE,” HIS MOTHER AUDITED MY GROCERY RECEIPTS—THEN THEY DROVE TO MOCK MY “TRAILER PARK” HOUSEWARMING
Chapter 1: The $3 Receipt Friday night in the Miller house always felt like a trial. Not dinner. Not family time. A trial. The kitchen table, a scuffed pine monster Linda insisted was “perfectly good,” was covered in crumpled receipts,…
MY NEWBORN WAS TURNING BLUE—MY HUSBAND LEFT FOR HAWAII AND SAID I WAS “JUST DRAMATIC”
Chapter 1: Blue Lips “Stop being so dramatic, Elena. He’s just coughing.” My mother-in-law said it like I had interrupted her breakfast, not like my three-day-old son was turning blue in my arms. Beatrice Vance stood in the middle of…
MY BILLIONAIRE FATHER DISOWNED ME AT MY OWN WEDDING—HE HAD NO IDEA THE “TRASH” HE MOCKED WAS ABOUT TO BECOME HIS BIGGEST REGRE
Chapter 1: Disowned Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a billionaire father? Trust me, it is not the fairy tale people imagine. My name is Fiona Ashford. I was twenty-eight years old when my father stood…
End of content
No more pages to load
