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Video: South Korean broadcasters lose minds over Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot

Video: South Korean broadcasters lose minds over Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot

Anyone who is a fan of the Indiana Pacers or just a basketball enthusiast in general (minus those with a rooting interest in the Oklahoma City Thunder) has probably already watched Tyrese Haliburton's latest miracle shot from Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals many, many times.
Get ready to watch it many, many more times.
The NBA has posted video to social media of Haliburton's game-winning jumper from South Korea's broadcast of the game on SPOTV, and the announcers' call of the magical moment is insane.
Simply put, they lose their minds.
Check it out. Don't worry if you don't speak the language — the unbridled enthusiasm coming from what sounds like a two-man broadcast booth requires no translation.
Seriously, the only other person who has ever screamed in such a manner was the Who's Roger Daltry in the epic climax to the 1971 classic 'Won't Get Fooled Again.'
The NBA also posted a clip of the clutch shot from ABC/ESPN's coverage of the game. Play-by-play announcer Mike Breen captured the excitement of the moment as well, although with a slightly less epic delivery than his South Korean counterparts.
The Pacers hadn't led the entire game and trailed the heavily favored Thunder by nine points after Oklahoma City star and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a pair of free throws with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. But Indiana clawed back behind five points by Andrew Nembhard down the stretch to set up Haliburton's shot that lifted his team to a 111-110 win.
It was the fourth time during these playoffs that Haliburton hit a shot in the final two seconds of regulation to either win the game or send it into overtime.
'This group never gives up,' Haliburton said after Game 1. 'We never believe that the game is over until it hits zero, and that's just the God's honest truth. That's just the confidence that we have as a group, and I think that's a big reason why this is going on.'

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Ranking the 10 best NBA Finals Game 7s, from Willis Reed's return to LeBron's block
Ranking the 10 best NBA Finals Game 7s, from Willis Reed's return to LeBron's block

New York Times

time42 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Ranking the 10 best NBA Finals Game 7s, from Willis Reed's return to LeBron's block

Game 7. It's the ultimate contest. Each NBA season is a firehose of 1,230 games. There have been 83 playoff games this year, with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking part in 21 and the Indiana Pacers in 22. This is it. There is no tomorrow. This one is for all the marb– OK, we'll abandon the hoary clichés. We know. You know. From that first practice in the fall to this game after the summer solstice, 30 teams work toward this goal. But now it's down to two (teams) and one (game) as a Game 7 represents the ultimate test of an eventual champion's strength, talent, will and grit. It's hard, real hard, to win one of these things. Advertisement Because of that, Game 7s are often tight affairs. Everyone is tense. Everyone is on edge. Everyone knows what's at stake. It's not hyperbole to say legends are born and legacies are built in a Game 7. 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The Celtics took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter, but it took some late Russell heroics — a bucket and a block — to send the game to the first OT tied at 103. The game entered a second OT tied at 113. According to the Boston Globe, by the end of the game, there would be 38 lead changes and 20 ties. In the second OT, the Celtics clung to a two-point lead with one second left. Alex Hannum, the Hawks coach who had to put himself into the game because of his team's foul trouble, drew up a wild play in a desperate attempt to force a third OT. Taking the ball out under the Celtics' hoop, Hannum launched a 94-foot pass off the backboard into the hands of Bob Pettit, who had 39 points and 19 rebounds. The stunned Celtics watched as Pettit corralled the carom and put up a shot as time expired. The ball bounced off the rim and the C's were champions for the first time. Rookie Tommy Heinsohn led the Celtics with 37 points and 23 rebounds before fouling out in the second overtime. If the internet/social media had existed during this game, it would have broken into a million pieces. This game had a little bit of everything. By 1968, the Lakers had lost six times, once in Minneapolis and five times in Los Angeles, to the Celtics in the finals, and twice in seven games (1962 and 1966). The Lakers had enough. In July 1968, Los Angeles acquired the game's greatest force — Wilt Chamberlain, who led the league in rebounds and assists the previous season — and combined him with Baylor and West: the NBA's first superteam. After dispatching the Hawks and Warriors, the Lakers were in the finals again against an aging Celtics dynasty that had finished fourth in the Eastern Division. Advertisement By this time, Russell was in his second season as player-coach, and in 1968, his first season at the helm, Russell's Celtics beat the Lakers in the finals in six games. But with Wilt, the result would be different, right? The Lakers thought so. For the first time, Los Angeles would have home court in Game 7. Through six games, each team had held serve at home. Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke was so sure his team would prevail, he had balloons in the rafters to drop after the win. The gesture angered Lakers (West) and Celtics (Russell) alike. But the Celtics used it as fuel, leading by as many as 17 and taking a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Lakers, however, showed grit despite losing Chamberlain to a knee injury, and got within 103-102 with a little more than three minutes remaining. Chamberlain said he asked back into the game at one point, but Lakers coach Butch Van Breda Kolff said according to The Los Angeles Times: 'We're doing well enough without you.' And for the Celtics, they had one last bit of magic. Clinging to that 103-102 lead, John Havlicek had his dribble poked away. The ball went straight to Don Nelson, who grabbed it and flung it at the hoop. His shot hit the back of the rim, popped up and dropped in to give the Celtics a 105-102 lead. From there, the Celtics would go to win 108-106, with Wilt still on the bench and the balloons still in the rafters. Russell had his 11th NBA title in 13 years. Lakers coach Pat Riley set this scenario in motion a year earlier. Yes, that's Riley at the 1987 Lakers championship parade guaranteeing that his team would be back celebrating another title one year later. But six games into the 1988 Finals, that prediction was in peril. With the upstart Pistons leading the series 3-2, Game 6 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. was no picnic for the Lakers. Thanks to an epic performance from Isiah Thomas, who scored 25 points in the period — most of it on a sprained ankle — the Pistons held a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Advertisement With the Lakers down one, Bill Laimbeer fouled Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 14 seconds left in the fourth. The Captain sank both free throws, the Pistons missed a shot, Byron Scott missed two free throws and the Pistons, who had no timeouts, couldn't get a shot off and it was onto Game 7. That's where the legend of 'Big Game James' Worthy was solidified. Worthy did what Magic Johnson usually did, notching a triple-double with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the Lakers' victory, earning Finals MVP honors along the way. But the Pistons didn't make it easy. Trailing by as many as 15 with 7:27 to go in the fourth, the Pistons whittled the Lakers' lead to two late. 'This is stunning,' CBS' Dick Stockton said as Dennis Rodman hit a hanging one-hander with a little less than three minutes to go in the game. The Pistons were able to keep it close, trailing by three. After a Lakers' turnover and down three, Rodman rushed an ill-advised runner with 40 seconds that missed. After the Lakers pushed the lead to 106-102, the Pistons still wouldn't go away. Laimbeer swished a 3-pointer with six seconds to go to cut the lead to 106-105. An A.C. Green layup cemented the final margin. The game was also the last time any team has surpassed 100 points in Game 7. Also, watch the final two seconds. Pure chaos. This is probably one of the reasons why the NBA now surrounds the court with rope in the final moments of a clinching game. This may be the most improbable Game 7 in NBA history. And it almost became the greatest comeback in league annals. The Rochester Royals raced out to a 3-0 series lead, winning the first three games by an average of 16 points. The Knicks came roaring back, winning Games 4, 5 and 6 to tie the series. To this day, no other team in finals history has gone down 3-0 to force a Game 7. Advertisement And that first Game 7 in finals history, in the parlance of the day, was a humdinger. You may not know that by looking at The New York Times' front page the day after. After tying the series down 3-0, the Knicks fought back in Game 7 from down 14 to take a 74-72 lead with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Knicks' miracle comeback was almost complete. Almost. The Royals, now the Sacramento Kings, and Knicks were tied at 75 before two free throws and a late layup gave them the NBA title. To this date, it's still the only championship in franchise history. Before John Havlicek stole the ball, 'Handsome' George King did. A 6-foot wisp of a point guard, King played six NBA seasons, five with the Royals. In a 2-3-2 format, the Nationals won the first two, the Pistons won the next three. As the series returned to Syracuse, the Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) took Game 6 on April 9 by five points. On April 10, the teams played the closest Game 7 in NBA Finals history. The Pistons took a huge early lead, going up 17 points a little more than three minutes into the second quarter. The year before, that may have meant death for the Nationals. But thanks to the new 24-second shot clock, which Syracuse brass famously suggested for the league, the Pistons couldn't stall. The Nationals chipped away, cutting the lead to six at halftime and tying the game at 74 to enter the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 91 with six seconds remaining, King hit a free throw to put Syracuse up one. Two seconds later, King stole the ball from Ft. Wayne's 'Handy' Andy Phillip, a five-time All-Star and eventual Hall of Famer, to seal the championship for the Nats. 'A Hollywood writer couldn't have dreamed a better script than this one,' Jack Andrews wrote in the Syracuse Post-Standard. Advertisement This one isn't here because the game was great. Well, it was for Walt 'Clyde' Frazier and the Knicks. This one is here because what Willis Reed did before it has entered pop culture and remains 55 years later. Reed injured his thigh in the first quarter of Game 5. Without him, the Knicks rallied to win the game and take a 3-2 series lead. Two nights later in Los Angeles, the Lakers pounded the Knicks, who were without Reed, by 22 to tie the series. Before Game 7, no one knew if Reed would play. The New York Times reported the chances of Reed playing were 50-50. As the teams were warming up, a murmur started among the crowd. ABC's Jack Twyman caught a glimpse of a figure in the tunnel. Reed, torn thigh and all, started the game, hit his first two shots and the rout, physically and psychologically, was on. The Knicks led by 14 after one and by 27 at halftime. Frazier put the pedal to the metal with 36 points, 19 assists, seven boards and five steals. The Knicks had their first NBA title. But it was Reed emerging from that tunnel at Madison Square Garden that has come to epitomize the grit and determination it takes to win a championship. For the first four games, this series was, let's be honest, gross. The Spurs won the first two, the Pistons won the next two and the losing scores were: 69, 76, 79, 71. Oof. Then came the Robert Horry game in Game 5 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Spurs reserve took over late in the fourth and hit the game-winning 3 in overtime as 22,000 Pistons fans held their collective breath as Horry had a wide-open look to ice the contest. So, with Game 6 in San Antonio, it was a foregone conclusion that the Spurs would lock up their third title, right? Wrong. The defending champion Pistons stunned the Spurs and the basketball world with a 95-86 win to force a Game 7. Advertisement In the first Game 7 in 11 years (and it was the lowest-scoring Game 7 since 1952), the teams were tied 16 times and exchanged the lead 10 times. Tim Duncan was his usual solid self with 25 points (on 27 shots) and 11 rebounds. The game, however, belonged to Manu Ginobili, who had 23 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. He was 3 of 4 from the field, assisted on two of the other Spurs hoops and grabbed three boards in the process. 'We went into that Game 7 scared s–tless,' Ginobili recalled, many years later. 'Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) called it appropriate fear. And it's true. It's not that you're paralyzed by fear. But we have to play every single possession. We've got to be physical. 'I remember things about the fourth quarter, when everything opened up for me. I remember starting pretty well, but thinking in the fourth quarter, it's my game. I know they won't have an answer, that I'm in the zone, I'm feeling it. I've got that feeling in my head, saying that this is my moment.' While people may wonder why we don't have the 1984 Game 7 in this spot is this: That series was iconic, but Game 7 was more of the same in Celtics-Lakers history with the Celtics dominating and winning. This Game 7 was somewhat like the Cavs-Warriors': the absence of offensive fireworks ratcheted up the tension because it felt as if the next made hoop could be the last. Every point was at a premium. The Celtics jumped to a nine-point lead after one, but the Lakers kept chipping away at Boston's lead. By the fourth quarter, the Celtics held a four-point lead. Then, the Lakers rallied behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and … Metta World Peace (now Metta Sandiford-Artest). World Peace scored six of his 20 points (second only to Bryant's 23) in the fourth, including a crucial 3-pointer with one minute left to give the Lakers a 79-73 lead. Advertisement Two Celtics' 3s sandwiched around two Bryant freebies cut the lead to two with 16 seconds to go, but two free throws by Sasha 'The Machine' Vujacic sealed the win and the Lakers' 16th title. It was Bryant's fifth title, and he was named Finals MVP for the second straight year. (Photo of LeBron James and Andre Iguodala: Garrett Ellwood / NBAE via Getty Images)

NBA Finals Game 7: Lessons In Hardship, Stories Of Redemption
NBA Finals Game 7: Lessons In Hardship, Stories Of Redemption

Forbes

time42 minutes ago

  • Forbes

NBA Finals Game 7: Lessons In Hardship, Stories Of Redemption

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (#2) of the Oklahoma City Thunder attempts a shot against Pascal Siakam ... More (#43) of the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Abbie Parr - Pool/Getty Images) Each season, winning a championship is the goal of all 30 teams in the NBA, but 29 teams will ultimately fall short of this quest. With Game 7 of the NBA Finals approaching, the reality is that either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers will face defeat and experience heartbreak. While winning an NBA championship will undoubtedly alter the trajectory of one of these two franchises, losing this game could also have a profound impact and provide valuable lessons in the process. Some of the greatest winners in basketball history have lost in the NBA Finals. Phil Jackson won a record eleven championships as an NBA head coach and another two titles as a player. During his final press conference as team president of the New York Knicks in 2017, Jackson discussed the challenge organizations face in assessing team progress and remarked, 'One of the worst things that can happen is to lose in the (NBA) Finals.' In his 2013 book Eleven Rings: The Soul for Success, Jackson also stated, "Losing is as much a part of the game as winning. It's how you handle the losses that teaches you the most about yourself." Throughout NBA history, there have been 14 instances in which teams lost in the NBA Finals and returned to win the championship the following year. However, only seven teams have accomplished this feat after losing in Game 7. The disheartening experience of coming so close yet falling short may signify the end of an era or represent the final step in a championship ascent. So, which teams were able to accomplish this feat? Stephen Curry (#30) of the Golden State Warriors can only watch as LeBron James (#23) shoots free ... More throws to help clinch the 2015-16 NBA Championship for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 19, 2016. The Warriors won 73 regular season games, a record that still stands. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) (Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images) 2016-17 Warriors: The most recent example of a team winning a championship the season after losing a seven-game NBA Finals series is the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. They rebounded after suffering a home defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which was particularly disheartening given that the Warriors had set a record by winning 73 games during the regular season. Before the start of the 2016-17 season, guard Stephen Curry told Sam Amick of USA Today, 'I still haven't gotten over Game 7. Obviously, you hated the feeling, but it's also a motivator to come back even stronger.' That offseason, the Warriors signed the highly sought-after free agent Kevin Durant and went on to win back-to-back titles. 2013-14 Spurs: In the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Miami Heat in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Spurs led the series 3-2 before suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss in Game 6. With just seven seconds remaining, after the Spurs failed to secure a rebound, Heat guard Ray Allen made a three-point shot from the corner, tying the game and sending it into overtime. In a display of remarkable resilience, the Spurs returned to the NBA Finals the following season and decisively defeated the Heat, winning the series 4-1. Two of the lessons learned upon returning to the finals were not to take a lead for granted and to play every possession. In a 2016 interview with Adrian Wojnarowski on The Vertical Podcast, Spurs guard Manu Ginóbili expressed uncertainty whether the Spurs would have won the title without the heartbreak of the previous year. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich described his team's resilience as "a great lesson in stick-to-itiveness and doing your work, not crying about things, and just moving forward.' 1988-89 Pistons: Similar to the Spurs, the Detroit Pistons held a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1988 Finals. With the Pistons clinging to a one-point lead late in Game 6, Pistons forward Bill Laimbeer was called for a questionable foul with 15 seconds remaining that resulted in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar clinching the game with two free throws. This occurred after guard Isiah Thomas sprained his ankle in the third quarter, yet single-handedly kept the Pistons in the game. After the Lakers won the series, Isiah Thomas vowed the results would be different the following season and was quoted by the New York Times, stating, 'We're going to finish with the best record in the league and get the home-court advantage.' The Pistons swept the Lakers in 1989, claiming their first NBA championship. Earvin "Magic" Johnson (#32) of the Los Angeles Lakers attempts to make a pass against the Boston ... More Celtics during Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Basketball Finals at the Boston Garden. The Lakers lost the series 4-3, but would avenge their loss in 1985. (Photo by Carl Skalak /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X30090 TK1 ) 1984-85 Lakers: Like the Pistons, the Lakers also learned a difficult lesson a few years earlier, suffering a Game 7 loss in the 1984 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Not only were the Lakers attempting to defeat their archrivals, but they were also dealing with the mystique of the Celtics, who had never lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Due to two critical errors made in Game 4, Magic Johnson was nicknamed 'Tragic Johnson' by Boston-area sportswriters. Both teams returned to the NBA Finals in 1985. Before the series began, Johnson expressed his confidence and poise in a quote to the Los Angeles Times: 'I don't have to redeem myself because everybody knows what I can do. So I'm just going to be out there playing and hopefully don't make those mistakes.' The Lakers silenced their critics by defeating the Celtics in six games. 1978-79 Supersonics: The Washington Bullets defeated the Seattle Supersonics Game 7 of the 1978 NBA Finals, winning a physical seven-game series. The Supersonics held a 3-2 series lead with the home court advantage but were unable to close out the Bullets, as poor execution and inexperience ultimately derailed their efforts. Both teams returned to the NBA Finals in 1979, where the Supersonics swept the Bullets to win their franchise's only title. After the series, Finals MVP and Supersonics guard Dennis Johnson was quoted in the Washington Post, stating, "Last year we didn't know what to expect in this series but we came in with our eyes open this time. We did everything we had to do to win.' 1957-58 Hawks: In the 1957 NBA Finals, the Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks in double overtime to win Game 7 of the series, which was a particularly painful loss for the Hawks. With renewed focus, improved defensive continuity, and greater trust among teammates, the Hawks returned to the NBA Finals and earned a revenge victory over the Celtics, highlighted by Bob Pettit's 50-point performance in the closeout game. The team's chemistry appeared to play a crucial role in helping the Hawks defeat the favored Celtics. In 1998, on the 40th anniversary of the championship, forward Ed Macauley told Tom Wheatley of the Post-Dispatch, 'It was a talented group, but it was a very, very closely knit group. It was a very unselfish ballclub.' 1954-55 Nationals: Up 2-0 in the 1954 NBA Finals, the Syracuse Nationals Squandered their lead and ultimately lost at home to the Minneapolis Lakers in a decisive Game 7. This setback fueled the Nationals' desire to make adjustments and finish the job the following season. They defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1955 NBA Finals by a single point in another Game 7. The team's star player, Dolph Schayes, was once described by Bill Russell as 'completely tenacious." His work ethic molded the Nationals into champions during the early years of the NBA. These examples highlight rare instances of teams bouncing back from disheartening defeats in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, proving their championship mettle. Either the Thunder or the Pacers will face similar circumstances. Next season, the victor will attempt to defend their title, while the runner-up will seek to avenge their loss. One certainty is that both teams have earned a tremendous opportunity to compete in this decisive game, which will determine this season's NBA champion.

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