OSHKOSH \u2013 Hali. Haliban. HIMaburton.<\/p>\n
The Moment.<\/p>\n
All the new nicknames are cool, but Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> probably wants one more moniker: NBA champion.<\/p>\n The Oshkosh kid whose jumper was once too unorthodox is now just two wins away from creating history by leading the Indiana Pacers<\/a> to the franchise\u2019s first-ever NBA title.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI am really excited to be a part of the group that brings the team to the finals, but I don\u2019t think I am satisfied by any means just being here,\u201d Haliburton told ESPN\u2019s Malika Andrews in a sit-down interview<\/a>. \u201cThe point is to get here and win.\u201d<\/p>\n Teams winning Game 5 in an NBA Finals tied 2-2 have won the title 74.2% of the time.<\/p>\n The series is tied 2-2 heading back to Oklahoma City Monday night for arguably the most pivotal game of the Finals thus far: 74.2% of teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 Finals series go on to win the title.<\/p>\n Not that the odds truly mean much for Haliburton and his Pacers.<\/p>\n Indiana has led the heavily favored Thunder twice in this series, 1-0 and 2-1, despite entering the Finals with the longest odds to win the title in NBA history at 66-1.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n According to Yahoo Sports, only six teams since 1996 have had better odds to win the NBA title entering the Finals than Oklahoma City (-700).<\/p>\n The Pacers have only been favored to win one of their four postseason series in these NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been the Pacers\u2019 underdog story for this entire postseason run, where they were only favored in one series \u2014 a first-round victory over the rival Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Not coincidentally, Indiana\u2019s two-time All-NBA guard has come up huge when it matters most, hitting a clutch shot to either tie or take the lead in the last three seconds of regulation of overtime in each of the four series.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Read more: Tyrese Haliburton is NBA Finals Game 1 hero, scoring game-winner with 0.3 to play<\/a><\/p>\n Haliburton’s penchant for late-game heroics (he\u2019s made 13 of 15 game-tying or game-winning shots this season) predictably drew a slew of nicknames, from HIMaburton to Haliban.<\/p>\n But the best may have been saved for last, with NBA analyst Richard Jefferson fittingly capturing Haliburton\u2019s Game 1 winner with \u201cThe Moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s cool,\u201d Haliburton told Andrews of all the nicknames. \u201cI think every time that you\u2019re able to experience such highs as a basketball player, the commentary changes. There\u2019s always new nicknames, new stories, all these things come out, so it\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The hope is Haliburton has one more moment left in him.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope it doesn\u2019t get [to that point], but if the moment\u2019s there, then I\u2019m always ready,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n Read more: Follow the NBA Finals with USA TODAY Sports<\/a><\/p>\n How to watch Tyrese Haliburton for the remainder of the NBA Finals<\/p>\n The 2025 NBA Finals are aired live on ABC while fans can also stream the series on\u00a0Fubo<\/a>\u00a0(offers a free trial) and SlingTV.<\/p>\n Game 5 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. June 16 and the series shifts back to Indiana June 19 for Game 6 at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n If needed, Game 7 would be played in Oklahoma City at 7 p.m. June 22.<\/p>\n Contact Justin Marville at\u00a0jmarville@gannett.com<\/a>\u00a0and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0@justinmarville.<\/p>\n