Tyrese Haliburton ranks his four playoff buzzer-beaters amid incredible run for Pacers

Haliburton drilled a game-winning or game-tying shot in each of the Pacers' four playoff series

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton drilled a game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. It put the finishing touches on a shocking comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder and handed the Pacers an early lead in their first championship series in a quarter of a century.

It was a monumental moment in the series, but it looked like just another night at the office for Haliburton, who has become accustomed to nailing colossal shots in a breakout postseason. The star ballhandler's heroics in these 2025 playoffs have been nothing short of magical. He canned a buzzer-beater in each of the Pacers' four postseason series, and three of them put games on ice.

Ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Haliburton ranked his four buzzer-beaters from the least dramatic to the most memorable. Each was a game-defining conversion, but some held more weight in the series and playoff pictures than others.

4. First round, Game 5 vs. Bucks

Indiana had a sizable margin for error entering Game 5 of the first-round series against Milwaukee considering it built a comfortable 3-1 series lead. The Pacers did not give in when they fell behind by 20 points, though. They used the second half to inch their way back into the contest and ultimately forced overtime when Haliburton drove in for a dunk in the closing seconds of regulation.

That was not Haliburton's most dramatic play at the rim, though. That came in the extra period, when the guard drove beyond Giannis Antetokounmpo and put in a go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds on the clock. The Bucks had time for a last-second heave, but it missed and the Pacers were on to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"Usually a game-winner, you shoot it, it goes up, everybody holds their breath," Haliburton said. "This was like a layup. So we'll put that at No. 4."

3. Eastern Conference semis, Game 2 vs. Cavaliers

Cleveland looked poised to level the series at a game apiece. It held a seven-point lead with 48 seconds remaining. But the Pacers had already chipped away at a 20-point deficit in the second half, and Haliburton ensured the rally was not yet complete.

Haliburton drew a foul with 12.4 seconds to play and went to the free throw line with his squad down three points. While the Pacers could not mathematically tie the game with his foul shots, he made the first to draw the visitors closer. Haliburton intentionally missed the second free throw, snagged his own rebound and pulled the ball out to long range where he drained a decisive stepback 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left.

"I wasn't thinking I was going to be in that situation," Haliburton said. "I was shooting free throws. I was like, 'I'm gonna make this free throw, we're going to foul, we'll figure it out.' I missed it and immediately I had to switch my mindset. That's when I got the ball, pulled out, 'OK, it's time now.' This is a special moment for me. And on the road. I still think it can't trump these other two."

2. Eastern Conference finals, Game 1 vs. Knicks

Haliburton's celebration after the buzzer-beater in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals nearly aged like milk. The Pacers got there by way of another massive comeback, pulling themselves within striking distance after they trailed by 17 in the fourth quarter and by nine in the final minute. Down two in the closing seconds, Haliburton probed the lane, pulled back out to the arc and launched what appeared to be a game-clinching trey.

With the contest seemingly decided on a shot that bounced high in the air off the rim and down through the net, Haliburton evoked Reggie Miller's "choke" celebration. Hands on his neck, the Pacers star was unaware that the officials were about to deem the shot a 2-pointer rather than a 3-pointer. Upon review, his toe was on the line.

The clutch shot may not have won the game, but it forced overtime. Indiana won in the additional frame to draw first blood in the series.

"This is a very tough choice, but honestly, I'm gonna put the Knicks at No. 2," Haliburton said. "It didn't actually end up being a game-winner, so there's still a lot more game left. I mean, in 20 years, nobody's gonna remember that. They're gonna think that this was the actual game-winner. I'm gonna put that at No. 2."

1. NBA Finals, Game 1 vs. Thunder

The script was already written. Once in every series this postseason, the Pacers erased a sizable deficit in time for Haliburton to beat the buzzer with game-tying or game-winning heroics. That did not take away from the dramatics when it happened again in the first game of the NBA Finals, though.

Oklahoma City held a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and maintained a nine-point advantage with less than three minutes on the clock. A late collapse saw Indiana surge within a point in the final seconds, and that is when Haliburton took control, pulled up from just inside the arc and put home a go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds left. With that, the Pacers quickly took control of the series.

"NBA Finals, dreamed of being in this moment my whole life," Haliburton said. "On the road. Another big comeback. It's the biggest stage, the NBA Finals. So I'll put that at No. 1."