Scott Van Pelt may have already admitted that he was late to the Indiana Pacers’ party, but he was still tardy nonetheless. And while interviewing Tyrese Haliburton in the aftermath of the Pacers’ shocking victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, the SportsCenter host had the opportunity to admit the error of his ways to the team’s biggest star.
“The other night on the show, I put my hand up and I said, ‘look, I was late to the party on Indiana,'” Van Pelt admitted.
But rather than taking a victory lap on the ESPN star, Haliburton had nothing but praise for SVP’s transparency.
“Yeah, you’re a real one for that,” the 2-time NBA All-Star replied, offering his hand to Van Pelt as a sign of respect. “Yeah, I heard that. You’re a real one for that. But hey, a lot of your counterparts wouldn’t admit that now.”
Having given himself some “wiggle room,” Van Pelt proceeded to point out that his tardiness wasn’t without merit, as the same Pacers team that’s now three wins away from winning the NBA title also possessed a sub-.500 record at Christmas. Haliburton took no issue with the assessment, agreeing that “we were late to the party too.”
The transparency, however, didn’t stop there, with Van Pelt revealing that all of the preparation for his postgame show was built on the premise that the Thunder would win Game 1. Again, his skepticism regarding Indiana wasn’t unfounded; the Pacers entered the NBA Finals as a +525 underdog to win the series while Oklahoma City was a 9.5-point favorite to win Game 1. Yet when it came time to host his show, it wasn’t Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams who joined Van Pelt on the set, but rather Haliburton, who was just moments removed from sinking a game-winning shot for the fourth time in as many series during the Pacers’ postseason run.
“Every single note I had on this card getting ready for this show is about Oklahoma City winning this game, and I’m sitting here with you,” Van Pelt said. “It’s an amazing show that you all are putting on and the belief is amazing to watch as well.”
It would have been easy for Van Pelt to downplay his own doubt or for Haliburton to throw it back in the host’s face, but the fact that the two turned all of this into such an enjoyable interaction says a lot about each of their personalities. And while the Thunder may still be heavy favorites to win the best-of-seven series, it sure sounds like Van Pelt won’t be surprised if postgame interviews with Haliburton become a common occurrence between now and the end of the Finals.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.