Indiana Pacers won the first game against Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals on Friday in a spectacular way. The club won thanks to a point with 0.3 seconds left: 111-110.
The winning point was made by Tyrese Haliburton. With two seconds left, he shot a two-pointer. When the ball went through the net, there were still 0.3 seconds on the clock. The stadium in Oklahoma fell silent in amazement.
Indiana Pacers’ victory came out of nowhere. Haliburton’s late goal put the Indiana club in the lead for the first time. Ten minutes before the end, trainer Rick Carlisle’s team was still fifteen points behind.
The trainer intervened at that moment and replaced all five of his starting players. The Pacers then came back to 109-110, after which Haliburton shot the visitors to victory. It is the Pacers’ first victory in 25 years in the NBA Finals.
Indiana Pacers is thus in the lead in the NBA Finals, which is played according to a best-of-seven system. The team that wins four games first can call itself the best NBA team of the year. The next game is scheduled for Sunday.
For one of the two teams, at least, a long period without prizes will come to an end. Oklahoma City became champion once, in 1979. Indiana Pacers, where Rik Smits was under contract between 1988 and 2000, was crowned champion in 1970, 1972 and 1973.