The Pacers' lead in the NBA Finals was more than a decade in the making

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle learned to relinquish control of his teams' offense. It's helped the Pacers take control against Oklahoma City.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Every answer to what has become the most-asked question in the NBA — how exactly the Indiana Pacers continue to pull off one improbable postseason comeback after another — must include the gutsy shotmaking of Tyrese Haliburton.

His game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday was the fifth time Haliburton made a shot to either take the lead or tie in the final five seconds, the most of any player in a single postseason in 27 years.

Just as notable, but omitted from the highlights, was what happened 10.8 seconds earlier.

Trailing by 1 point, Indiana had grabbed a defensive rebound and was pushing the ball up the court for its final possession. It would have been a logical time for coach Rick Carlisle to call the team’s final timeout and remind players of their instructions inside a decibel-pounding atmosphere he described as “madness.”

Yet Carlisle did not call a timeout. He did not bark from the sideline. He never took his hands off his hips as Haliburton zoomed past before rising up for his jump shot, because Carlisle had already laid out the plan one possession earlier, during a break in play as officials reviewed an out-of-bounds play that eventually gave the ball to Oklahoma City with 22 seconds to play.