Have you ever been told, “Achieve something for which the world will remember you for?” While it is certainly a difficult task to accomplish, Tyrese Haliburton is doing it with ease. After what has been a historic Playoff run, it was up to him to lead the offensive effort during the Finals. He barely managed to do it in Game 1, but he did it in such a fashion that the praise was echoing to viewers on the other side of the globe!
The highlight of Game 1 of the NBA Finals was, without a doubt, Tyrese Haliburton’s jumper, with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock, that gave the Indiana Pacers the 111-110 win. It was the only lead the team held in the game, and they had to overcome a 15-point deficit to reach there. The official Instagram account of the NBA did not fail to highlight that clutch shot.
It even highlighted the Korean SPO TV live call the shot, with native commentators calling out the game. Though non-Korean speakers certainly could not understand what the commentators were saying, they didn’t have to. All they had to do was listen to how the commentators reacted! As soon as the ball went in, one of them shouted exorbitantly high, while the other kept on repeating “WOW, WOW.” Their enthusiasm certainly matched that of Hali’s teammates, who rose and grouped around the player to praise him.
Any Pacers fan, or even a viewer who was just watching the game for the thrill of it, would have probably reacted the same way. After all, that shot was the final step for the Pacers to make a memorable comeback in Game 1. Throughout the game, the Pacers seemed to be faltering at almost every turn. The game opened with the Thunder forcing 9 Pacers turnovers, and allowing 8 made Indiana field goals. By the end of the first half, the Pacers had a total of 19 turnovers and were down 57-45 against OKC.
In total, Tyrese Haliburton & Co. accumulated a whopping 25 turnovers, while their rivals only had 7. They had made 16 fewer field goal attempts than the Oklahoma City Thunder. By the time 2:36 minutes remained in the 4th, OKC was leading 108-99. From that point onwards, however, the Pacers bettered their odds. The rest, as they say, is history.
The reaction of the Korean commentators was certainly the cherry on top of the sundae that was Haliburton’s clutch shot. It made the whole thing better, especially for those who weren’t that enthusiastic about ESPN’s Finals coverage. We don’t have to guess, as many of them soon took to the comments section to react.
Is it time for a change in the ESPN commentary panel?
One social media user wrote, “I could watch this shih 100 times and it still funny ”. Yes, well, an epic moment, combined with it also being celebrated by people who represented the people of a different country, is certainly bound to make it better.
One individual wrote, “ i love those announcers.” A basketball game does not bring out such epic moments at every turn. In fact, they occur in very few games, and often during clutch time. The shot effortlessly going through the hoop, and giving the Pacers the lead with 0.3 seconds on the clock, was such a moment. If fans won’t shout excitedly over such instances, then when will they shout happily?
Unfortunately, the non-Korean speakers did not have the greatest time. Especially those who tuned in to ESPN to watch the coverage of Game 1. One social media user wrote, “It’s an absolute travesty that we @NBA fans have to watch the #NBAFinals on ESPN and not get to have @SHAQ Chuck @TurnerSportsEJ and @TheJetOnTNT. @ReggieMillerTNT should’ve been on the call. Mike Breen is fine, but Richard Jefferson and Doris Burke are .”
NBA fans are already sour after the Conference Finals, since they had to bid adieu to TNT’s Inside the NBA. They not only provided in-depth analysis but also entertained fans with jokes, pranks, and their bond. Another user wrote, “I need @NBAonNBC to be able to host the nba finals soon. @ESPNNBA has ruined coverage. No starting lineup intros, no storylines, boring studio crew. Then you have Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson on color commentary. Tell me you want me to watch on mute without telling me…”
May 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Doris Burke is not the most popular amongst NBA fans. Back in May, she came under fire when commentating for a Celtics game, and saying, “Boy, Kristaps Porzingis looks like a guy who hasn’t had consistent minutes in a while. He’s a step slow.” Well, of course, he was a “step slow”. The 29-year-old was still dealing with complications from his upper respiratory illness back then. He had already missed 11 games in a 14-game span back then.
Later that same month, Doris drew criticism after discussing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. She had said, “There’s a reason NBA Twitter likes to call [Shai] the free throw merchant, Mike.” Therefore, her name being brought up again after Game 1 wasn’t a surprise. One social media user wrote, “ESPN has the worst NBA broadcast in history. The pregame show is full of yelling and screaming, the commentary is about nothing except the stories they create and it is borderline unwatchable. Mike Breen is the only thing that saves it.”
On top of that, add the fact that the commercials just don’t stop. And this isn’t something new. During Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, the five individuals on ESPN’s set got only ‘one minute and twenty seconds’ of airtime. After the 2nd quarter ended in Game 1, the ESPN on ABC broadcast went to commercial. When it came back, Mike Breen and JJ Redick reportedly did the ‘Gettin’ Buckets’ segment, which lasted for about 20 seconds. After cutting away to another commercial break, the on-site studio team got about a minute to share their thoughts. Another commercial break followed, after which Josh Hart discussed the remaining Dallas-Celtics games. The segment lasted roughly 20 seconds, and the 3rd quarter had begun by the time Redick and Burke returned to give a brief commentary on the first half.
Overall, the majority of reactions highlighted nothing but praise for the Korean commentators while criticizing the ESPN crew. Maybe Doris Burke & Co. will take some inspiration from the Korean commentators to make Game 2 more lively for American audiences and those located around the world.
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