Jalen Williams' Mic'd Up NBA Finals Moment Reveals Indiana Pacers' Spirit

With memories of the gut-wrenching loss in the series opener still fresh, Jalen Williams issued a stern warning to his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Despite racking up 19 turnovers in the first half of Thursday’s contest, the Pacers once again staged a magical comeback capped off by yet another last-second bucket from Tyrese Haliburton .

Once the star guard’s step-back mid-range with 0.3 left in the fourth quarter put the finishing touches on the Pacers’ 111-110 victory, droves of fans and players alike shared their thoughts. LeBron James heaped praise on Haliburton while Caitlin Clark voiced her shock and excitement .

As the Thunder seemed to be in control again during Game 2, Williams stressed the importance of completely “burying” the Pacers in order to prevent Indiana from pulling off another late-stage comeback.

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“We gotta bury them. They're comfortable at 15 [points down],” he told players on the bench while mic’d-up. “They’re comfortable at 15."

To the pleasure of Williams, the Thunder made sure to put Sunday’s game well out of reach, dominating the Pacers throughout the 123-107 rout. In 34 minutes played, the 24-year-old amassed 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from behind the arc.

Few can blame Williams for expressing concerns that the Thunder’s lead might not’ve been big enough. On more than one occasion during this year’s playoffs, the Pacers have miraculously erased a double-digit deficit to squeak out a win and stun their opponent.

"As a group, we never think the game is over, ever," Haliburton told reporters on Thursday. "Honestly speaking, ever.

"I don't know what you say about it, but I know that this group is a resilient group. And we don't give up until it's 0.0 on the clock."

Game 1 marked the fourth time this postseason that the Pacers emerged victorious despite trailing by multiple scores with less than one minute remaining in the final quarter.

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Indiana was down 118-111 to the Milwaukee Bucks with 34.6 seconds remaining in overtime before winning, 119-118. Then in Game 2 of the Semifinals, the Pacers trailed the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-112 with 48 seconds on the clock, though managed to secure a 120-119 victory.

Finally in Game 1 of the Conference Finals, Haliburton and Co. were losing 121-112 to the New York Knicks with 51.1 seconds left in regulation yet won 138-135 in overtime.

Given the Pacers’ history of comebacks this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – who made history after scoring 72 points through his first two Finals appearances – conceded that the Game 1 defeat came as less of a surprise. “We had control of the game for the most part,” he explained.

“Now, it’s a 48-minute game. And they teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league — the hard way.”