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Magic Johnson Had Giddy Six-Word Message After Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers Stun Thunder

The Lakers great sounded very excited after watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Kristen Wong

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the second quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the second quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The Indiana Pacers continue to find ways to win this year—especially when they're on the road, as NBA legend Magic Johnson would like to point out.

Johnson was tweeting at his usual, frenetic pace during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a matchup that saw Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers pull off one of the most incredible comebacks in playoff history.

Haliburton would sink the game-winning shot with just 0.3 seconds left in the 111-110 victory, giving the Pacers their first lead of the entire game. Indiana's 15-point comeback in the fourth quarter is officially tied for the fourth-largest in an NBA Finals since 1971, while the Thunder made some undesirable history as the losing side.

After the Pacers' unlikely win, Johnson shared his unfiltered thoughts on the rest of the Finals:

"NBA fans we have a Seriesss!" Johnson wrote on X.

The Los Angeles Lakers great also noted the Pacers have beaten every team they've faced in the playoffs (Bucks, Cavaliers, Knicks) on the road at least once, a feat they've now accomplished in the NBA Finals as well. Johnson doled out generous praise to everyone from coach Rick Carlisle to Haliburton for pulling off the crazy comeback:

True to Johnson's tweet, NBA fans should be very excited that this year's finals series does, in fact, appear to be a competitive one despite the Thunder's astounding dominance of late.

Game 2 of Pacers-Thunder is Sunday night at Paycom Center.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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