OKLAHOMA CITY — Tyrese Haliburton moved up the floor, down a point, the seconds ticking away, and a once raucous crowd of 18,000 Thunder fans stood in silence. They had seen this movie before. In Milwaukee, in Cleveland, in New York. Haliburton has turned this postseason into his personal sizzle reel, delivering clutch shot after clutch shot, snatching improbable victories out of the jaws of near-certain defeat. And here he was, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, aiming to do it again.
From the sideline, Rick Carlisle watched, hands on his hips. A timeout? Pfft. Never considered it. These were the moments Haliburton had been groomed for, since the Pacers acquired him in 2022 and told him they were going to put the ball in his hands. Coming out of the last timeout, Carlisle’s message was simple: Get a stop. Get the ball in Tyrese’s hands. “If we get a stop and [got] the rebound,” said Carlisle, “we’re going to go.”
