Basketball is a game of inches. Inches between glory and heartbreak. Inches between a three-pointer and a long two. Inches between being etched into history books and being left in the shadows of what could have been. Just ask Kevin Durant… or better yet, ask Tyrese Haliburton.
In June 2021, Kevin Durant produced one of the most unforgettable playoff performances in modern memory. But it wasn’t enough. In May 2025, Tyrese Haliburton delivered a similar moment. The difference? His team followed his lead and came out with a win.
Let’s get this straight. This isn’t about who’s the better player. It’s about what it means to lead a franchise through pressure and why Haliburton’s Eastern Conference Finals heroics have already done more for Indiana than what Durant never quite achieved for Brooklyn.
Durant’s masterpiece that led nowhere
Game 7, Eastern Conference Semifinals, 2021. Brooklyn. Milwaukee. All eyes are on Kevin Durant. With no Kyrie Irving and a hobbled James Harden, the Nets were a team held together by Durant’s sheer will, and for most of the series, it felt like that might be enough. In Game 7, Durant was nothing short of spectacular: 48 points on 17-of-36 shooting, 53 minutes played, every single second on the floor, carrying the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. With the game on the line, Durant pulled up over PJ Tucker and nailed what seemed to be a game-winning three, but it wasn’t; his toe was just barely on the line...two points, tie game, overtime.
That half-inch would become the symbol of Brooklyn’s postseason fate, representing Durant’s bad luck and the fragile foundation of the team around him, a superteam built on individual brilliance but lacking the depth to support it. In overtime, the Nets ran out of gas, losing 115–111, and Milwaukee advanced, ultimately going on to win the title. Brooklyn, for all its star power, couldn’t escape the second round.
Fast forward to 2025, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals
This time, the stage belongs to Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. They aren’t a superteam. They aren’t loaded with top-five players. But what they’ve built is something that sustains under playoff pressure: a cohesive identity, a balanced roster, and a leader who elevates everyone around him.
Indiana trailed the Knicks by two with just seconds left. Haliburton, with the clock ticking, navigated traffic and pulled up for what seemed to be a winning three but ended up being a long two. The shot bounced off the rim, shot above the backboard, and dropped in. Game tied.
But unlike Durant’s foot-on-the-line moment, Haliburton’s didn’t end in heartbreak. Indiana kept pushing. Behind Haliburton’s composure and key plays from Andrew Nembhard and others, the Pacers edged out the Knicks 138–135. Yes, this was just Game 1, but it shouldn’t take away from how crucial that shot was.
What Brooklyn lacked, Indiana built
The Durant-era Nets were constructed with urgency. They prioritized star power over depth. And when injuries struck, there was no backup plan. Durant had to be the first, second, and third option. That worked for stretches, sometimes even entire games. But over the course of a series, it left them no room for error. Indiana, on the other hand, is a team where roles are defined, trust is distributed, and late-game situations don’t demand a single player to play hero and closer at the same time.
Durant’s 48-point masterpiece will always be remembered. But history ultimately judges what comes next. For the Nets, what came next was collapse. For the Pacers, Haliburton’s moment is already paying off. And that’s what separates iconic players from transformative ones: not just what they do, but where they take you.