Shout ‘em out.
The two best words in sports: Game 7.
See you Sunday (8 ET, ABC).
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
June 20, 2025
Pacers Force Game 7: Facing elimination for the first time this Playoffs, Indy was at its best
All-Hands Effort: A historic night from the Pacers’ historic bench – in the biggest of moments
First Look At Game 7: Thunder & Pacers will add their names to NBA lore on Sunday
On The Ground In Indy: “This is the loudest I’ve ever heard Gainbridge”
Unforgettable: From role player to Finals hero – Paxson’s shot from his perspective
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The two best words in sports…
Tied 3-3, the 2025 NBA Finals comes down to one final showdown – Game 7 on Sunday in OKC (8 ET, ABC). Will the Pacers cap off a storybook run, or will the Thunder stamp a historic season at home?
1. PACERS RACE PAST THUNDER TO FORCE GAME 7
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Comebacks have defined the Pacers’ 2025 postseason run.
They have proven that no lead is safe in any game when the team representing Indiana is on the court.
While they’ve rallied back from 15+ points down to win games in each series, they have never had to rally to win a series.
Until now.
The Pacers entered Thursday’s Game 6 down 3-2 – facing elimination for the first time this postseason.
Did they have this type of comeback in them?
The answer was a resounding ‘YesCer,’ as the Pacers put together their best game of the Finals to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Pacers 108, Thunder 91: Obi Toppin led six Pacers in double figures with 20 points off the bench as Indiana used a full-team effort to race past the Thunder in front of a raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse, hosting its final game of the season. | Recap
- “We didn’t want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor … It’s a one-game series now.” said Tyrese Haliburton after the win
- Haliburton’s Presence: The eyes of the basketball world were focused on Haliburton’s right calf, which he strained in Game 5. Not only did he start, he had 14 points, 5 assists and posted a team-high +25 in 23 minutes on court
- Slow Start, Fast Response: Less than four minutes into the game, the Pacers trailed 10-2 after giving up four layups and a dunk. Indiana would outscore OKC 62-32 for the rest of the half, building its first 20+ point lead of the series
- T.J. & Obi Show: As Indiana built its 22-point halftime lead, it got eight points apiece from McConnell (5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl) and Toppin (4 reb, 2 3pm) to lead the Pacers’ second unit
- Fueled by the instant energy of McConnell and Toppin, Indiana’s bench outscored OKC’s 31-6 through the first three quarters as the Pacers built an insurmountable lead
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
In closeout/elimination games like Thursday night, the team looking to close must overcome the desperation that a team exerts when their season is on the line.
While Indiana brought the energy and grit of a team fighting to play another day, they did so without playing recklessly. No single player tried to do too much. Instead, they collectively willed themselves to a Game 7.
- Ball Security: Indiana committed only 10 turnovers – its fewest of the Finals – as the Pacers didn’t allow OKC to use its swarming defense to create steals and easy points
- Defensive Fortitude: Indiana not only held OKC to its lowest point total of the series, it was the Thunder’s lowest scoring game of the season (reg+post)
With the win, the Pacers forced the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history – and the first since 2016 – as they look to make history on the road.
Here are five defining plays behind Indy’s season-saving victory:
T.J. doing T.J. things. McConnell gets a steal in the backcourt and finds Toppin for his second 3 in a span of 40 seconds, putting the Pacers up six with 4:56 left in the 1st quarter.
Haliburton for 3. After shooting 1-of-11 from deep in Games 4 & 5 combined, Tyrese splashed three 3s in the 1st half, including this stepback for his first bucket from the left half of the court in this entire series.
A Siakam smash. Haliburton got the steal on defense, tip-toed the sideline before finding a streaking Pascal Siakam with a lookaway dime. Siakam caught it in stride and rose up for a poster dunk to put Indy up 20 with 40 seconds left in the 1st half.
The (1st) buzzer beater. After igniting the home crowd with his hammer dunk just 40 seconds earlier, Siakam showed some finesse with a fadeaway jumper that dropped through the net at the 1st half buzzer to put Indy up 22.
The exclamation point. After hitting a 3 with 33 seconds left in the 3rd, Toppin went for another with 4 seconds left. His shot missed, but Andrew Nembhard batted the rebound to Ben Sheppard, who launched a 27-footer at the buzzer to put Indy up 30 heading to the 4th.
2. ALL-HANDS EFFORT: INDY’S DEPTH DELIVERS AGAIN
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Entering Game 6, the Pacers had eight players with 175+ points this postseason – the most ever in a single Playoff run.
So with the season on the line – and their star point guard battling through injury – who stepped up for Indy?
Simple. Everyone.
The Pacers missed their first eight field goals of the game. But after falling into a 10-2 hole, they settled in, outscoring OKC 26-15 to take a 3-point lead into the 2nd quarter.
Then came T.J. McConnell.
Eight days after swinging Game 3 with a 2nd-quarter surge, Indy’s ultimate sparkplug electrified the arena again.
- McConnell Magic: With the Pacers up one, McConnell reeled off eight straight points for Indy: a crafty reverse, a short pull-up jumper, then another… and another – all from the same right side of the line. All nearly identical. All automatic
- The mini-flurry ignited the Indy faithful – but it wasn’t just the scoring. He pickpocketed SGA. He snagged an offensive board in traffic. He saved a steal that led to a big Obi Toppin 3
- Like déjà vu from Game 3, the oldest and shortest player on the floor was everywhere at once
And he wasn’t alone.
Jesse D. Garrabrant + Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Entering the break, six different Pacers — Siakam (13), Haliburton (12), Nembhard (10), Aaron Nesmith (9), Toppin (8) and McConnell (8) — had 8+ points, a feat unseen in the 1st half of a Finals game in 40 years.
- By the final buzzer, they all reached double figures, making Indy the first team since the 1987 Lakers to have six players score 10+ points in three separate Finals games
Bench Brigade: That included historic outings from McConnell (12 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl) and Toppin (20 pts, 4 3s, 6 reb), who came off the bench and brought Gainbridge to life – again.
- T.J. Time: McConnell joined Robert Horry as the only reserves to record 10+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 4+ steals in a Finals game since steals were first tracked in 1973-74
- Obi Outburst: Meanwhile, Toppin became just the fifth player in Finals history to tally 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 4+ triples off the bench
Indy Identity: McConnell and Toppin’s special nights are a byproduct of the Pacers’ special style: unselfish, uptempo and almost impossible to predict.
The ball moves – and with it, so does the spotlight.
- Passing Pace: Entering Wednesday with a Playoff-high 319.4 passes per game, Indy has now totaled 591 assists this postseason — the 7th-most ever in a single Playoff run
- Golden Standard: The only other teams with more postseason assists this century? The 2016 and 2022 Warriors
- Depth In Motion: That selflessness doesn’t just lead to assists – it powers one of the deepest benches the league has ever seen, as Indy’s reserves have poured in 816 Playoff points
- Legendary Company: Only two other teams have scored more bench points in a single postseason – the 2014 NBA champion Spurs and the 1984 Showtime Lakers
“All year we have preached how important depth is to our success,” said Haliburton postgame. “That’s the thing about the NBA and the Playoffs – you never know when your number is going to be called.”
“We have so many guys prepared for that moment.”
3. FIRST LOOK: GAME 7 A FITTING CONCLUSION TO AN EPIC FINALS
The 79th champion in NBA history will be decided in the 20th Game 7 in Finals history.
The Thunder and Pacers will enter their names into NBA lore on Sunday in Oklahoma City (8 ET, ABC) with one game to determine which team will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
- For the Thunder, it would be the first NBA championship of the franchise’s OKC era and cap off only the fourth 84+ win season in league history
- For the Pacers, it would be the first NBA championship in franchise history and the first time a 4-seed has won the title since Playoff expansion in 1984
This back-and-forth Finals has seen Indiana lead 2-1 and OKC lead 3-2, but six games has not been enough to separate them.
“Dreamed of being in this situation my whole life,” said Haliburton. “What happened in the past doesn’t matter. What happened today doesn’t matter. It’s all about one game and approaching that the right way.”
Sunday’s clash marks the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016, when Cleveland pulled off the only 3-1 comeback in Finals history to win its first title.
- Rare Company: Sunday will not only be the first Finals Game 7 in nine years, but only the fifth since 2000 – joining 2005 (Spurs def. Pistons), 2010 (Lakers def. Celtics), 2013 (Heat def. Spurs) and 2016 (Cavs def. Warriors)
- Razor Thin Margins: Of the previous 19 Game 7s in the Finals, only four have been decided by double digits while the average margin of victory is 6.95 points
OKC’s dominant regular season (68-14) gives them the right to host Game 7 of the Finals, which has brought a significant advantage historically.
- Home teams are 15-4 (.794) in Finals Game 7s, which is lower than OKC’s home win percentage of .849 this season (10-2 in Playoffs, 35-6 in regular season)
- The four away teams to win Game 7 – the 1969 Celtics, 1974 Celtics, 1978 Bullets and 2016 Cavs – all represented the East, just like the 2025 Pacers, who are 7-4 on the road this postseason
In two days, either the Thunder will complete one of greatest single seasons in NBA history or the Pacers will add a 3-2 comeback to their first championship journey.
“One game for everything you ever dreamed of,” said Shai on Sunday’s stakes. “If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It’s that simple.”
4. ALL-ACCESS: ON THE GROUND FOR AN ELECTRIC WIN IN INDY
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After reaching the Finals for the first time in 25 years, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle reminded the home crowd of a truth they already knew:
- “In 49 states, it’s just basketball. But this is Indiana.”
Ahead of Game 6, with the Pacers facing elimination, Carlisle addressed the Indy faithful once more:
- “We need to buckle down, stand strong. I anticipate one of the best crowds in the history of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. We’ve got to find a way.”
And in what was Indiana’s final home game of the season, Gainbridge Fieldhouse made sure it wasn’t their final game of the year — roaring from start to finish and willing the Pacers toward a Game 7.
- Scene Setter: Listed as a game-time decision, Tyrese Haliburton pulled up ready to roll – shades on, bag in hand – before getting his bag right with some early pregame work
- Family Ties: Obi Toppin kept things light and lively pregame, sharing a playful moment with his young son Oziah, who crawled onto the hardwood on all fours
- Tunnel Vision: While SGA hit the floor locked in, Haliburton dialed in his shot with some final pregame prep
The 17,923-strong inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse also arrived ready to rumble, injecting juice from start to finish – turning Game 6 into a game Indy will never forget.
- Royalty: Pacers legends Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson and Stephen Jackson joined the Indy faithful courtside, along with Vikings star Justin Jefferson
- Siakam Soars: Step inside Gainbridge for an epic crowd pop as Pascal Siakam stamps the 1st half with an all-time hammer
- Another One: Witness Ben Sheppard beat the 3rd-quarter buzzer to put the Pacers up 30 – sending Indy into a frenzy
- “Our crowd was spectacular tonight,” said Carlisle postgame. “This is the loudest I’ve ever heard Gainbridge.”
5. UNFORGETTABLE: PAXSON’S 3 MAKES IT THREE STRAIGHT FOR CHICAGO
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Exactly 32 years ago today, a role player became a Finals legend.
In Game 6 of the 1993 Finals, the Bulls – seeking their third straight title and holding a 3-2 series lead – found themselves down one with 14.3 seconds left, looking to avoid a Game 7 in Phoenix.
Chicago had scored just nine points in the 4th quarter, all coming from Michael Jordan. So after a timeout, with the ball in their hands, it was no surprise that Coach Phil Jackson drew up a play for MJ.
But the final shot wasn’t Jordan’s.
It belonged to John Paxson – who with just five points on the night – found himself on the receiving end of a five-pass sequence, stepping into a game-deciding 3 with 3.9 ticks left.
Splash. Paxson drew nothing but net, giving the Bulls a 99-98 win to seal the first three-peat in NBA history since the Celtics in the late 1960s.
Years later, Paxson reflected on the play that etched his name into basketball lore — and what it means to him:
“The defining thing about that play – and it speaks to how we had grown as a team for those three years – is that each guy in a 10 second span touched the basketball on our team…
“The ball was inbounded to B.J. (Armstrong) and B.J. gave it back to Michael, who came up and made a pass to Pippen. And Charles Barkley tried to make a steal … so as Pippen caught it and Barkley overcommitted, he makes a direct line toward the basket…
“There’s help that comes to him. He makes a pass to (Horace) Grant. Danny Ainge, who is guarding me, sinks down to cover the ball there and Horace instinctively throws it back out…
“And then I’m behind the 3-point line open. So in a 10 second span all five players touched the basketball, and they all made the right decision … and it resulted in that shot…
“I always felt like the luckiest guy in the world because I was never an athletic player. My skill fit that group. And I’ve always felt so fortunate to be able to step up at a time when my team needed me..
“That’s the thing I’ll always remember.”
