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.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton had scored just five points headed into the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs. the Thunder.

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.