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In the closing moments of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, four players had a crucial impact: Indiana Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, along with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder forward Jalen Williams.
Williams, after receiving a pass from Gilgeous-Alexander, missed a 3-point shot that could have extended the Thunder’s lead to 9 points with 2 minutes and 16 seconds remaining. Immediately after, Nembhard capitalized by making a three-pointer over Gilgeous-Alexander on the subsequent play.
Later, during a critical sequence with Oklahoma City holding onto a slim 1-point advantage, Gilgeous-Alexander failed to connect on a pull-up jumper with 11 seconds left. The Pacers secured the rebound and passed the ball to Haliburton, who, with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock, made the game-winning shot.
All four players (Haliburton, Nembhard, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams) have been key cogs in their teams’ success over the last couple seasons. And all four can be traced back to a transaction from the summer of 2007, when a 30-year-old Sam Presti, general manager of the then-Seattle SuperSonics, made a trade that helped set the stage for the 2025 Finals.
Here’s how the Sonics’ sign-and-trade of forward Rashard Lewis helped build not one, but both of this year’s NBA Finals participants.
