Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Breaks Eye-Opening Streak in NBA Finals Game 4 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The postseason run that Tyrese Haliburton has been on can’t really be summed up in stats. He has averaged 18.6 points, 9.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds in the Pacers’ 19 playoff games, and his shooting percentages (47.3% from the field and 34.3% from the 3-point line) have been solid enough, but Haliburton’s string of magical shots and moments, first against the Bucks, then Cavaliers and Knicks and now, the Thunder, can’t be reduced to numbers.

It’s all been rather stressful for him. 

“You’re playing in the NBA Finals. There should be a higher sense of urgency, a higher level of stress,” he said. “Your spit should taste different. All those things, right? This is a lot of fun. This is a lot of fun. 

“After games, I’m struggling to sleep — good games and bad games. I’m watching a ton of film. I’m doing, us as a group, we’re texting more in the group chat about basketball-related things more than we probably ever have. This is a lot of fun. You don’t want to take these moments for granted.”

If there is a number that has been worthy of special attention here in the Finals, as Game 4 of the series got underway with the Pacers seeking a 3-1 series lead, it is this one: 0. 

That’s how many free throws Haliburton was granted in the first three games of the series. Yes, despite 53 points scored and 43 shots attempted in the series, Haliburton came into Game 4 without a free-throw on the docket. 

And we’re not saying made free throws. It’s free-throw attempts.

But with 28 seconds to go in the second quarter of a tight Game 4, it finally happened for Haliburton: He was fouled by Alex Caruso on a made two-footer. Haliburton stepped to the line and made what was, at long last, his first free-throw attempt in 13 days. 

    

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.