NEW YORK — “Rattling, what a f—ing sport,” Tyrese Haliburton mentioned within the guests’ locker room at Madison Sq. Backyard on Wednesday. Then the Indiana Pacers star grabbed a slice of pineapple from the postgame unfold.

Haliburton appeared like he could not imagine what had simply occurred, similar to the remainder of us. The Pacers trailed the New York Knicks by 14 factors with lower than three minutes to go within the fourth quarter. Simply to power time beyond regulation, Indiana wing Aaron Nesmith needed to ascend to the next aircraft in crunch time and Haliburton wanted to make a game-tying, buzzer-beating, foot-on-the-line 2 on the finish of regulation. The shot hit the again of the rim, bounced straight up and dropped by the web.

“It is gotta be the sneakers, man,” Haliburton introduced to nobody specifically after the 138-135 time beyond regulation win in Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention finals. “Go get ’em. On sale now.”

Haliburton’s Pumas should not the first cause for the Pacers’ surprising come-from-behind victory. Thrice this postseason, Haliburton and his crew have executed the (seemingly) inconceivable: the series-clinching Sport 5 in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks within the first spherical and Sport 2 in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers within the second spherical, each of which ended with Haliburton game-winners, and now this. 

The extra that they offer the finger to their late-game win chance, the more durable it’s to elucidate.

Earlier than these playoffs just one crew within the play-by-play period (i.e. since 1995-1996) had ever come again from a seven-point deficit within the remaining minute of the fourth quarter or time beyond regulation in a playoff sport. Indiana has executed this three occasions in 23 days. And its newest ridiculous rally was much more unlikely than the 2 that preceded it: Earlier than Wednesday, groups that led by 14-plus within the remaining 2:45 of the fourth quarter within the play-by-play period had been 994-0, per Josh Dubow of the Related Press.

One doable rationalization for the Pacers’ obvious superpower: Every comeback makes the subsequent one appear extra reasonable. In keeping with reserve middle Thomas Bryant, they did not straight focus on their current heroics after the Knicks went on a 14-0 run within the fourth quarter. “We attempt to not,” he mentioned, “as a result of that is very laborious to do each time.” They did not must reference these wins in opposition to Milwaukee and Cleveland, although, to have been aided by them.

“We might select to not be in these positions,” Bryant mentioned. However they knew “that we have been right here earlier than, and we will in some way get out of this.”

To educate Rick Carlisle, Indiana’s capability to execute effectively on the finish of video games goes again to getting reps within the common season. No crew had a greater level differential within the clutch in 2024-25.

“Loads of the video games early the place we had been struggling had been video games we needed to pull out,” Carlisle mentioned. “They had been clutch video games once we weren’t enjoying significantly effectively. And it is a muscle. The extra you train it, the stronger it will get.”

Haliburton, who completed Sport 1 with 31 factors and 11 assists in 42 minutes, went again even additional. He mentioned he went by a “baptism by hearth” after the Pacers traded for him on the 2022 deadline.

“We might be in these moments the place I must take these photographs,” Haliburton mentioned. “And I might miss them, and no person would care. Pacer followers would, however we weren’t excellent, so it did not matter, we weren’t a playoff crew or something.”

Expertise, Haliburton mentioned, is the very best instructor. Myles Turner described the crew as “battle-tested.” One cannot precisely anticipate a crew to go on historic runs on a regular basis, however he has ceased being stunned by it.

“It is to the purpose the place I am simply used to it,” Turner mentioned. “I’ve a lot confidence on this group.”

One other doable rationalization: Indiana’s fashion of play is conducive to comebacks. As an alternative of accepting the cliché that the sport slows down in crunch time, the Pacers merely hold enjoying their manner: pressuring the ball full-court, working off makes and misses and inflicting as a lot confusion as doable within the halfcourt. Their opponent, in the meantime, is perhaps working on fumes, as the whole lot Indiana does is designed to tire the opposite crew out over time.

“It is laborious for me to discredit and say that the wear-down impact wasn’t there,” Haliburton mentioned. “I feel from the whole lot you are seeing, that is part of it, and I feel that is part of our id: How can we put on on groups for 48 minutes? Clearly choosing up full courtroom, in addition to our offensive stress, getting downhill, shifting, enjoying quick. I believed that we did an excellent job offensively of enjoying our fashion.”

Indiana was outrebounded in Sport 1, but it surely did not let the Knicks seize any offensive boards late within the fourth quarter and it got here up with a pair themselves in OT. Haliburton additionally famous that New York “missed a pair free throws there down the stretch, had a pair quick misses there on the finish of the sport.”

Partially due to their bodily demanding fashion, the Pacers lean into their depth. Earlier than Nesmith erupted for 20 of his 30 factors — together with six straight made 3s — within the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter, he had been subbed out twice within the interval. Ben Sheppard, who did not play in any respect within the first three quarters, logged seven minutes within the fourth, which “allowed Aaron an opportunity to relaxation somewhat bit,” Carlisle mentioned. “So he got here again within the sport contemporary, and he had his legs.”

One other doable rationalization: In tough conditions, Indiana is ready to stick collectively as a result of it has, uh, caught collectively. Haliburton drew a straight line from the entrance workplace retaining final yr’s roster collectively to the resilience of the crew.

“We’re only a group that has spent a whole lot of time with one another,” Haliburton mentioned. He added that they have been by large streaks in each instructions and so they all trust in one another. “We really feel like we all know the place everyone’s going to be,” he mentioned. “We’ve excessive expectations for one another, however I feel we additionally maintain one another accountable on the identical time.”

Haliburton mentioned his confidence comes from realizing that his teammates and coaches need him to take last-second photographs, as do Pacers followers. “I feel everyone’s dwelling and dying with it at that time,” he mentioned. Throughout fourth-quarter timeouts, the Pacers confirmed “nice contagious emotion for one another,” Bryant mentioned, even once they had been down by 16 factors (with 7:22 left) and 14 factors (with 3:44 left). They had been “clapping it up” and “speaking to one another, giving one another confidence,” Bryant mentioned.

“We talked within the huddle about, ‘Preserve working the sport. Preserve making an attempt to make it laborious on these guys. Discover beauty,'” Carlisle mentioned. 

Indiana was “very a lot teetering on the sting,” Carlisle mentioned, but it surely managed to remain the course. After happening the heater of a lifetime, Nesmith mentioned, “I did not actually notice what I used to be doing within the second, I used to be simply making an attempt to win the basketball sport.” In different phrases, he was in a circulate state, unconscious. The final three minutes had been “sort of a blur, to be trustworthy with you,” he mentioned. “Simply combating, scrapping for each free ball, boxing out, making photographs, making performs and doing no matter we will to win.”

Initially, the Pacers thought Haliburton’s buzzer-beater was a 3. In any other case, they would not have jumped onto him in jubilation and he positively would not have channeled Reggie Miller’s choke celebration. After discovering out they wanted to play 5 extra minutes, they needed to “seize everyone by their jersey, their neck, their arm, no matter it takes,” Turner mentioned. “Simply get ’em within the huddle, inform ’em, ‘Let’s go, man. It isn’t over. We gave ourselves an opportunity.'”

The plan going ahead is to not depend on making “hellacious shot for 3 minutes straight the remainder of the collection,” Turner mentioned. Indiana will take wins nonetheless it may possibly get them, although, and, if it finds itself going through one other daunting deficit in crunch time, it can proceed to play its sport. If the Pacers’ earlier comebacks hadn’t already made it abundantly clear, the collection opener at MSG confirmed that this will repay spectacularly.

“On the spot basic,” Turner mentioned.