Haliburton immediately reached for his neck to make a “choking” taunt after the play.
“I thought it was a 3,’ Haliburton told TNT after the game. ‘I tried to hit the celly and it didn’t work. But we finished it in overtime.”
The taunt was a callback to Reggie Miller’s ‘choke’ celebration from Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals. The Hall of Fame Pacers guard scored 25 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter of that contest.
While members of the Pacers rushed the court to celebrate with Haliburton, a replay showed that Haliburton had his foot on the line and the play would result in two points, tying the game at the end of regulation at 125.
The Pacers managed to capitalize on their momentum and secure the road victory and take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Watch Tyrese Haliburton force Game 1 overtime
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.