Local TV station forced to issue apology for cutting away from Indiana's comeback in Game 1 of NBA Finals

On Friday, local Indiana TV station WPTA was forced to issue an apology for cutting away from the Pacers' comeback win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The ABC affiliate in Indiana cut away from the game in the final minute, airing a teaser for their newscast instead. This almost cost fans the chance to witness Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner over the OKC Thunder.

WPTA's vice-president, Chris Fedele, issued an apology to fans via The Athletic as he explained the reason behind the sudden interruption. Claiming it to be a "technical issue," Fedele expressed an apology:

"We sincerely apologize for the brief interruption during the NBA game broadcast. A technical issue in our master control inadvertently triggered the start of our 11:00 PM newscast. The issue was resolved within 24 seconds, and viewers were able to see Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot.

The incident occurred during the final minute of Game 1, as Pascal Siakam blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's layup. As the Indiana team dribbled the ball up the court, the TV station inadvertently cut away to its 11:00 p.m. Fort Wayne news tease, bewildering fans.

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Although realizing their mistake and returning to the broadcast in under 30 seconds, the Pacers had cut their deficit to one point. Despite the grievous mistake, Indiana fans were able to witness Haliburton's last-second game-winner, which earned the Pacers a 111-110 win.

Haliburton and Co. trailed the Thunder all game and seemed headed for a Game 1 loss, but his last-second shot gave them their first lead on the night and a stunning win at Paycom Center.

Indiana Pacers become first team since 1971 to achieve rare feat in NBA Finals

The Indiana Pacers have made comeback wins a trademark this postseason, overcoming double-digit deficits in every series. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, they repeated this feat, becoming the first team since 1971 to win after trailing by 9+ points in the final three minutes.

The Pacers' X/Twitter account highlighted this rare feat as they continue to rewrite history:

"Entering tonight, teams were 0-182 when trailing by 9+ points in the final 3 minutes of an NBA Finals game since 1971. It's 1-182 after tonight."

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Game 2 of the Finals between the Pacers and Thunder takes place at Paycom Center on Sunday.

Can Haliburton help his team to a 2-0 lead in the series before heading to Indiana, or will "SGA" and Co. even the series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by Veer Badani