Who really needs to see all of an epic comeback anyway?
A local ABC affiliate in Indiana cut away with a little more than a minute left during the Pacers’ stunning 111-110 come-from-behind win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday against the Thunder to instead show the teasers for that night’s 11 p.m. nightly broadcast.
Those watching WPTA, based out of Fort Wayne, Ind., watched as Pascal Siakam blocked a shot from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Pacers trailing, 110-107.
As Indiana advanced the ball, the broadcast cut away with 1:03 remaining to the nightly news.
And the lead story was quite the downer.
“Next on 21 Alive News, the man who was brutally beaten at Pike’s Pub last week has come forward,” anchor Amir Abbas said. “Here’s what he wants to have happen now.”
Fans then got to hear about those watching the game, with the station showing a bar filled with patrons with what appeared to be the NBA Finals on in the background.
“Also tonight, a big night for Pacers fans as Indiana is in the NBA Finals,” Abbas said. “We’ll show you a local business who has seen a boost from the Yes’cers.”
The segment then previewed the weather, and Abbas got in a quick word before the game came back on air with the Thunder having possession while leading 110-109 with approximately 37 seconds remaining.
Indiana fans missed Andrew Nembhard missing a 3-pointer before Siakim scored off an offensive rebound to cut the deficit to one with 48 seconds remaining.
Thankfully for the Pacers faithful, they didn’t miss the best part of the game.
Indiana forced two Thunder misses in the final 35 seconds, and Tyrese Haliburton made them pay by hitting a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to steal the win.
Just like they did against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers rallied from a massive fourth-quarter deficit — this time 15 points — to stun the home team.
The Thunder led 94-79 with 9:30 remaining in the game.
“Man, basketball’s fun,” Haliburton said. “Winning is fun.”