WATCH: Purdue Football Players Hilariously Recreate Tyrese Haliburton's Game 1 Shot vs. Knicks
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For the first time in 25 years, the Indiana Pacers are playing in the NBA Finals. The team has captured the attention of everyone across the state, including the Purdue football team. In celebration of the Pacers competing for a championship, the Boilermakers decided to recreate Tyrese Haliburton's improbable Game 1 shot against the New York Knicks.
Thursday morning, Purdue football posted a video of several players attempting to recreate Haliburton's miraculous shot, which bounced off the back iron and fell softly through the net at the end of regulation to force overtime. The Pacers stole Game 1 from the Knicks, winning 138-135.
Indiana defeated New York 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, punching their ticket to their first NBA Finals since 2000. Below are clips of the Purdue football players attempting to recreate the shot.
As you'll notice, the Boilers attempted to recreate Haliburton's shot on a Little Tikes hoop ... on a football field. So, it's not an exact imitation, but close enough.
Tried our best to be like @TyHaliburton22
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) June 5, 2025
Good luck in the Finals, @Pacers! #YesCers pic.twitter.com/yVel8gGMei
Some players showed some basketball skill. Others were ... way off the mark.
The Pacers are in Oklahoma City for the first two games, playing the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 1 is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ABC. Game 2 is set for Sunday, and tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
The Finals come to Indiana on Wednesday, June 11, for Game 3 and Friday, June 13, for Game 4. Both games will start at 8:30 p.m. ET and will air on ABC.
Purdue football is the only one showing love to the Pacers for reaching the NBA Finals. After Indiana defeated the Knicks, the men's basketball social media team also sent out a congratulatory post.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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