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[Saba Sports News] The Indiana Pacers have pulled off the improbable time and again during this postseason, and a newly surfaced graphic following their latest win perfectly illustrates just how historic their playoff run has been.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, the Pacers erased yet another large deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 at Paycom Center. Indiana trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter and was still down by 9 with under three minutes to play.
It was the fifth time this postseason that the Pacers have won after trailing by at least 15 points. Their knack for dramatic comebacks — especially late in the fourth quarter — has become a defining feature of their run.
In the opening round against the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana overcame a 7-point deficit with under a minute remaining in Game 5. They repeated the feat in Game 2 of the second round against the Cavaliers.
Then, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they rallied from 9 down with just 52.5 seconds left to beat the Knicks.
On Thursday, it was more of the same. The Pacers were trailing by 9 with 2:36 remaining before Tyrese Haliburton drilled yet another clutch shot to seal the victory.
Prior to that game, NBA Finals teams were 0-182 since 1971 when trailing by 9 or more points with under three minutes to go.
For whatever reason, the Pacers have shown a remarkable ability to stay poised under pressure. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged that Thursday’s loss should serve as a warning — Indiana doesn’t quit, no matter how bleak things look.