Tyreese Halliburton and the Indiana Pacers forced Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Given the low expectations, that would have seemed outrageous before the playoffs.
For the 2024-25 season, most of the Eastern Conference spotlight was with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Indiana Pacers faced low expectations, but shocked the world with their NBA Finals run.
Now they are on the brink of the championship and face a Die or Die 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a star player on this Pacers team, Tyrees Halliburton deserves a lot of credit. But he always points to the team, which is always proven to be wrong with critics.
It was a complete team effort, as players like Pascal Siakam and TJ McConnell make the difference. They impressed the NBA world and deserve the praise they received.
The Pacers had a late start, but this was an overwhelming follow-up to their appearance in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. They raised it in the second half of the 2024-25 season, recording their first 50-win season since 2014.
Halliburton was their engine and teammates helped him lead the billing for this pacer. With just one victory from the championship, the Pacers are already shocking the world with what they have achieved. They want to confirm that by winning the title and really want to surprise everyone.
This isn’t the team that Halliburton does it all. Almost every player in Rick Carlisle’s rotation did something to help the Pacer reach this stage. They are one of the most balanced NBA teams, leading to fruitful results.
“As a group, we were very resilient in the playoffs. We’re a group of people who’ve come in really well and are trying to do something special. I don’t think there was much expectation for this group from an outside perspective,” Halliburton was ahead of Game 7.
“They made it into the playoffs, they went into the second round, they went into the third round, they did an amazing job of being together now.”
“I don’t have a group of people who would rather go to fight. I’m really excited to compete with these guys in Game 7. That would be a lot of fun.”
Over the years, the NBA has won titles on teams with many stars. It is common in the league due to its stacked roster. For Pacer, they don’t have multiple superstars. They win with a well-built roster.
Chad Buchanan, general manager of the Pacers, did an incredible job building this team. The front office took advantage of high value transactions and smart drafts. That’s been a success in the NBA, and the Pacers are about to complete the project in the championship.
Game 7 will become the most important thing in the history of the franchise. The last time they were here was Twilight, the iconic Reggie Miller career in 2000. He’s the bystander cheering for the Pacers and they want to win it for him.
With a rotation that allows 11 players to deepen, the pacer is ready to try to defeat lightning. However, that will be a tough task, especially with the quality of the Thunder roster. They can bounce back and Game 7 is on the home floor, making this even more difficult.