Tyrese Haliburton is the hero for the Indiana Pacers after a clutch shot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. This has led to widespread praise, including from former three-time Finals MVP Shaquille O’Neal.
Almost no one picked the Indiana Pacers to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Of course, only one game has passed, but the Pacers are doing well for themselves. The Pacers won on the Thunder’s home floor, which Gary Payton saw as a determining factor for the Finals.
Indiana trailed for most of the game, but made the right shots when they counted. Tyrese Haliburton had a rough Game 1, but that is out of the way because of his heroics. He was the one who made the game-winning shot. Haliburton proved yet again that he is one of the league’s best point guards.
Like most of his performances in this postseason, he proved to the NBA community that he deserves his spot. Shaquille O’Neal saw the shot up close, which impressed him enough to praise the Pacers’ superstar.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesO’Neal respects Haliburton more after his clutch Game 1 shot
O’Neal can be a tough critic to impress, as has been seen on Inside the NBA for more than a decade. One of the biggest things he values is players stepping up to the plate when needed. That is what Haliburton did in Game 1 of the Finals against the Thunder.
He had a quiet night, scoring only 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. Most of the time, O’Neal would want him to step up, like he said to Jimmy Butler. However, that does not matter because he made the most important shot.
For someone who played almost 20 seasons, O’Neal became familiar with clutch moments. He was a teammate of Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s greatest-ever clutch players. Haliburton’s 2025 postseason run is rivaling those of some of the league’s best clutch scorers.
TYRESE HALIBURTON = CLUTCH.
He’s 13-for-15 on game-tying or go-ahead shots under 2 minutes left in the 4Q or OT this season 🤯
His most recent won Game 1 of the Finals! pic.twitter.com/G4ZsUoWCtz
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2025
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“I can say that he’s not afraid of the moment, and I respect not being afraid of the moment. A guy like me, who wasn’t a good free-throw shooter, I didn’t always want that,” O’Neal said on The Rich Eisen Show.
“I always played with guys who wanted that moment, Penny Hardaway was like that; we all know Kobe was like that, D-Wade, LeBron, and even Steve Nash was like that. That took the onus off me because I wasn’t a good free-throw shooter to think about that moment.”
“The fact that he wants that moment, he steps up every time. When the outcome is usually favorable for him and his team, I have to respect that.
“But, I’m not ready to call him the “next Reggie Miller” or Mamba Mentality. I don’t want to do that yet… But he’s definitely one of my favorite players. Fun to watch.”
Haliburton has many more opportunities to shine in the NBA Finals
The Game 1 win should not make Haliburton and the Pacers complacent. They want to build on their momentum and the positive energy from the first win. Haliburton wants to shock everyone again after the clutch shots against the New York Knicks and that Game 1 shot.
The Pacers know what this Thunder team is capable of. The Western Conference champions won 68 games in the regular season, which included two dominant victories against Indiana. Winning by one point is only a slim advantage, so Haliburton and the Pacers are preparing for a tougher challenge.
Thankfully for Indiana fans, Haliburton did not have the best game. It was a far cry from his historic performance against the Knicks when he got a 30-15-10 triple-double. He is playing against the Thunder’s elite defensive unit, so he wants to be productive.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are out for revenge, and the Pacers will do their best to withstand it. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is working to extend their lead to 2-0 as they head back to Indianapolis.