Reggie Miller and Tyrese Haliburton Share Their Pacers Connection

There’s something special about connecting the past with the present.

And that’s exactly what the Indiana Pacers accomplished when they paired Reggie Miller with Tyrese Haliburton for a 30-minute conversation between two players whose careers have come to represent different generations of basketball in Indiana.

Miller remains the standard against which Pacers stars are measured. His postseason performances, particularly those against the New York Knicks, helped define an era of the franchise.

Decades later, Haliburton has started building his own collection of playoff moments.

That shared experience made for a unique conversation as Miller and Halliburton revisited some of their most memorable postseason performances and discussed everything from playing on the road to handling the final possession of an NBA Finals game.

For Miller, some of the best moments came when almost everyone in the building wanted him to fail.

"Playing at home is one thing, but to me, there’s nothing like playing on the road when it’s 15 versus 20,000,” Miller said. “Do your juices flow a little more?”

Haliburton didn't hesitate.

“Being on the road is the best,” Haliburton said. “Like you said, nobody there wants you to win. Nobody. And that makes it more fun for everybody, I think.”

It was a fitting exchange between two players who have become known for embracing the hositlity that comes with postseason basketball.

But Miller was particularly interested in one of Haliburton's biggest shots -- his game-winner against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

“The game winner. Game 1 against the Thunder,” Miller said. “Again, incredible comeback, perfect storm, things had to happen. You get the ball, why right versus Cason [Wallace]?”

What followed was less a celebration of the shot than a breakdown of everything Haliburton saw before taking it.

Alex Caruso was positioned as the help defender while guarding Pascal Siakam in the corner. As Haliburton attacked Wallace, he initially believed Caruso might commit to stopping the ball and leave Siakam available.

“I was surprised (Caruso) didn’t come up more and get the ball out of your hands,” Miller said.

“He was guarding Pascal in the corner,” Haliburton said. “As I was driving, I was thinking he was going to do that. I was thinking in my head, Pascal is going to be open on the cut.”

Haliburton knew the pass was there. He also knew it wasn't his first choice.

“There was some time and I could have easily passed to him and he could’ve finished it," Haliburton said. "But that was option number two.”

Option No. 1 was getting to the shot he had practiced countless times.

Haliburton hadn't played particularly well to that point. Neither had the Pacers. But with the game in his hands, he went back to something familiar.

"Game on the line, everyone has their go-to and I’m thinking get to my right hand and hit the pull-up,” Haliburton said. "A lot of guys like to get to their left to hit the pull-up, I like to get to my right."

As Haliburton hesitated and began to make his move, Caruso showed help but never completely committed to the double-team.

That was all Haliburton needed.

“From the minute I took this one dribble, I’m like, I’m shooting it and we’re gonna live with it,” Haliburton said. “This feels like everyday in practice. If [the] game’s on the line, this is my spot. I’m getting to my right hand and getting to my jumper.”

For Miller, the possession represented something larger than a single shot.

"That’s the very definition, --you hear coaches say it all the time-- just hang around, something magical is going to happen,” Miller said.

“That’s all Rick (Carlisle) was saying," Haliburton replied. "Let’s just hang around. We’ll be right there."

Go inside the mind of Tyrese Haliburton as he breaks down his game-winner in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at OKC with Reggie Miller 🤯

Watch the full conversation: https://t.co/5SL65w0skE pic.twitter.com/bWsf8L4Qc4
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 25, 2026

Miller wasn't in Oklahoma City that night. He was home watching with his family. But when Haliburton's shot dropped, Miller said his children jumped up and down as the room erupted in celebration.

For a player whose own career produced so many of those moments, the reaction struck a familiar feeling.

“That’s what it means to me, in Indiana, when people say what it’s like being in Indiana and playing," Miller said. "Because of the hoosier legacy.”

That provided the bridge between two eras.

Miller arrived in Indiana in 1987 and spent all 18 seasons of his career with the Pacers. Halliburton came more than three decades later, with a different team playing in a different NBA.

Yet both came to understand the connection basketball can create in the state.

Halliburton saw it firsthand during Indiana's round of the Finals.

“It’s all just a melting pot of people," Haliburton said. "I think that’s the biggest part about it."

For Haliburton, the playoff run showed how basketball could bring people from different backgrounds together around one team and one objective.

"You’re seeing those blending of cultures come together, which is the beautiful part of Indiana," Haliburton said. "And that’s what made it fun. Everyone coming together, same common goal to win a championship and that’s what makes it even more special in Indiana.”

Miller knows the feeling.

Years ago, he was the one taking the shot, antagonizing opposing crowds and giving Pacers fans postseason moments they would remember for decades.

Now, he can sit at home with his family and watch Haliburton create some of his own.

The names have changed. So have the opponents and the eras. But the connection between Indiana, its basketball team and the players responsible for its biggest moments remains much the same.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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