As the final minutes ticked away in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 123-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the broadcast panned to a forlorn Tyrese Haliburton sitting on the bench. The Game 1 hero could do nothing but sit and watch as the Thunder tied the series at 1-1.

On Sunday night, the Indiana Pacers played the Oklahoma City Thunder (in Oklahoma) for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Pacers lost by a score of 123-107. Tyrese H

The difference on the final scoreboard was one point, and the difference on this first installment of the Finals MVP Ladder is one spot, separating the player who made the shot and the one who missed — Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.