Sport 1 of the Jap Convention finals was a thriller as a result of of what Tyrese Haliburton did. The All-Star guard led the Indiana Pacers to a 138-135 extra time win over the New York Knicks to carry a 1-0 benefit. Nonetheless, some followers advised that Haliburton dedicated a violation earlier than he surprised the gang at Madison Sq. Backyard.

All through the sport, the Knicks had the lead and even elevated it to 17 factors. Nonetheless, the Pacers by no means gave up as they mounted a comeback that led them to the ultimate moments of the fourth quarter.

There was lower than 10 seconds left, and Haliburton tried to shake Mikal Bridges off of him. New York had a 125-123 lead at the moment. He pressured a change on Knicks heart Mitchell Robinson and dribbled to the 3-point arc to aim a game-winning shot from deep.

The 2-time All-Star hurled a last-second shot to doubtlessly win the sport. With a fortunate bounce, the ball went via the ring. Sadly for the Pacers, Haliburton’s proper foot was on the road, and his shot simply pressured extra time.

Nonetheless, different followers stated the Pacers guard dedicated a double-dribble violation earlier than he shot the game-tying basket.

Wanting on the slowed sequence, it exhibits that the Knicks’ Bridges made contact with the ball together with his finger when he was behind Haliburton. Check out the sequence within the video beneath.

It confirmed that Haliburton grabbed the ball with two fingers. Nonetheless, he misplaced management of it as a result of Bridges tried to poke it away from the star guard. The 6-foot-5 guard regained possession, establishing the game-tying shot.

The video introduced that Tyrese Haliburton didn’t double-dribble earlier than the shot, and it was a clear sequence.

Sport 1 of the ECF, which featured Tyrese Haliburton’s late-game heroics, bought lots of consideration

Viewership has been a problem for the NBA over the previous years. Even Sport 1 of the Western Convention finals, which featured the 2025 MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, could not appeal to audiences. However issues had been completely different with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers.

In Sport 1, the competition between Indiana and New York averaged 6.6 million viewers, based on Nielsen. Scott Agness, a Pacers beat reporter, confirmed on Thursday on X.

In response to Agness, Wednesday’s bout was the most-watched convention finals recreation for the East since 2018. That yr, the Cleveland Cavaliers confronted the Boston Celtics.

Haliburton and the Pacers are working it again. Final yr, they had been within the convention finals however misplaced to the Celtics.

The Knicks, in the meantime, are making their first third-round look in 25 years, thrilling followers wanting to see their crew compete.