Oklahoma City (AFP) – Two months after being named the NBA’s “most overrated player” in an anonymous poll of his peers, Tyrese Haliburton is having the last laugh. The 25-year-old point guard delivered the latest in a series of game-winning moments on Thursday with a last-gasp basket as the Indiana Pacers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 in game one of the NBA Finals. Haliburton’s winning bucket — with just 0.3 seconds remaining — was the latest entry to an impressive catalogue of clutch shots he has pulled off since the playoffs got under way. The Pacers talisman has now made a go-ahead or game-tying basket in the final five seconds of regulation or overtime on four separate occasions during the postseason.
“I’m obviously confident in my ability and feel like if I can get to that spot, I feel very comfortable in there,” Haliburton said of his winner. “It’s a shot I’ve worked on a million times and I’ll work on it a million times more. Just have confidence in that shot.” Haliburton’s winner came after the NBA’s newly crowned Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, had missed a 15-foot jump shot that would have given OKC a three-point cushion with 11 seconds left. Ironically, the same player poll in The Athletic in April which dubbed Haliburton “overrated” had overwhelmingly backed Gilgeous-Alexander as front-runner for MVP. Haliburton did not even feature in the shortlist of contenders.
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– ‘Ultimate confidence’ – Indiana center Myles Turner says Haliburton is at his best when the chips are down, relishing the pressure of when a game is on the line. “Ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,” is how Turner described Haliburton. “Some players will say they have it but there’s other players that show it, and he’s going to let you know about it, too. He’s a baller and a hooper and really just a gamer.” When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from the moment and very important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. He just keeps finding a way and we keep putting the ball in the right positions and the rest is history.”
Haliburton’s knack of delivering under pressure has become emblematic of a Pacers side that gives the impression of a team that has forgotten how to lose. Thursday’s comeback marked the fifth time during these playoffs when the team has recovered from a 15-point-or-greater deficit to win. “Through the course of the game it felt like it could get ugly,” Haliburton reflected afterwards. “I thought we did a great job of just walking them down. When it gets to 15, you can panic or you can talk about how do we get it to 10 and how do we get it to five and from there. I don’t know what you say about it but I know that this group is a resilient group and we don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock.”
Andrew Nembhard said the Pacers had remained calm despite a shaky first-half performance in which they coughed up nearly 20 turnovers. “We stay connected,” Nembhard said. “We’re going to play until the whistle blows.”
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