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[Saba Sports News] A brief exchange between Tyrese Haliburton and ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt has gone viral, with fans praising the authenticity and humor of the moment.
Following the Indiana Pacers’ thrilling 111-110 comeback win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Haliburton joined SportsCenter for a postgame interview. The Pacers trailed for nearly the entire game before Haliburton sank the game-winner with just 0.3 seconds remaining, silencing the Paycom Center crowd.
During the interview, Van Pelt admitted he was “late to the party” on the Pacers, which sparked a memorable exchange between the two:
Van Pelt: “The other night on the show, I put my hand up and said, ‘Look, I was late to the party on [the Pacers].’”
Haliburton: “You’re a real one for that. I heard that. A lot of your counterparts won’t admit that now.”
Van Pelt: “Okay, now I’m going to give myself a little wiggle room and say you guys were under .500 at Christmas, am I right?”
Haliburton: “Oh, we were rough. We were rough.”
Van Pelt: “Were you bad at the start?”
Haliburton: “Okay, yeah. We were.”
Van Pelt: “All I said was I was a little late to the party.”
Haliburton: “For sure. We were late to the party, too.”
Van Pelt then admitted he had prepared for an entirely different outcome:
Van Pelt: “I’ll be a real one right now. Every single note I had on this card, getting ready for this show, was about Oklahoma City winning this game. And I’m sitting here with you. It’s an amazing show you’re putting on, and the belief is amazing to watch as well.”
The conversation struck a chord with fans, who called it refreshing, honest, and a great example of mutual respect. Both Haliburton and Van Pelt received praise for their candid and good-natured back-and-forth.
Haliburton finished Game 1 with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, delivering yet another clutch performance. His game-winner earned him plenty of new fans — and his exchange with Van Pelt likely earned him even more.