The best Pacers run I've ever seen
This year was an achievement, even without the trophy to show for it. It's too bad it ended so painfully.
It wasn’t supposed to end this way.
The Pacers had too magical a postseason for it all to go down in flames on the biggest possible stage – Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Didn’t it feel like before the heartbreak that occurred in the first quarter the Pacers might have one last incredible game in them?
Early on, it looked promising for Indy. Right when Pacers fans thought, “They might actually do this,” watching Tyrese Haliburton hit three 3-pointers in the first seven minutes of Game 7, the worst possible scenario came to life.
This NBA Finals was one of the most entertaining this century, probably only second to the 2016 NBA Finals, and the world was prepared to watch the Pacers and Thunder give 110 percent in an all-or-nothing game.
Hope wasn’t completely lost as soon as Haliburton went down with a torn achilles with 4:55 left in the first quarter. We’ve seen the Pacers face adversity plenty of times and respond, but it would be a much harder task to beat a historically great OKC team without their star point guard. Miraculously, they led at halftime, the first time all series the Pacers led at the break while playing at OKC.
It was very evident in the third quarter Haliburton’s team needed him when the Pacers turned the ball over too many times. He’s one of the best high-volume ball handlers in the league while not giving the ball to the other team. That, and the offense felt off the rest of the game without him and his passing – especially in transition.
I know many Pacers fans are asking themselves “What if?” because of the injury. I for some reason don’t feel that way – injuries are always a factor in sports. That’s how I view it, and Haliburton knew the risks of playing with a calf strain. I was more so bummed one of the most exciting players in the NBA didn’t get the chance to win a championship when he worked so hard all season – not to mention he will miss all of next season.
Alas, life isn’t fair. And I can say for certain this isn’t what this Pacers team and Indianapolis deserved. Who knows if they actually win Game 7 with Haliburton playing, but it sure looked like he was going to have a hell of a game. When Haliburton has 20+ points and 10+ assists, the Pacers are nearly unbeatable.
I’ve never experienced a really bad relationship breakup, but on Monday it felt like one. I was having a hard time even looking back at the playoff run as a whole, the good moments included. It hurt too much recalling all this team accomplished, knowing it ended with the franchise point guard crying on the ground, pounding his hands on the floor.
(By the way, will ESPN learn that next time this happens we don’t need to see the injury replayed 20 times?)
It still hurts, the result of Sunday night and the questions about next year looming. Slowly the city is coming down from the mountaintop, because the ride this 2024-2025 Pacers team took everyone on was the best in franchise history. Heck, this is the most fun I’ve had watching sports. The Rick Carlisle, Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and company iteration of the Pacers is no. 1 for me now in terms of favorite teams I’ve watched, across all sports.
It’s no small feat, too, to take a team as good as OKC to seven games. The only other team this postseason that challenged them were the Denver Nuggets with arguably the best player in the NBA on their roster. Otherwise, OKC ran through other teams with relative ease.
As weird as it sounds, my favorite part of this series was watching Andrew Nembhard put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Nembhell (thanks to Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote for that one).
It’s nearly impossible to stop a scorer as great as Shai, but seeing Nembhard hound him and stick to him like glue despite Shai’s efforts to shake free at times made me so happy. Good defense is a pleasure to watch, and I guess Nembhard’s prior experience growing up with Shai in Canada helped.
There’s no doubt Nemby has that dog in him, which is good because he will most likely have to take on more responsibility with Haliburton out next season.
If there’s a silver lining in all of this, it’s that this team is relatively young. Who knows who could take a leap next year? Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith are all in their early- to mid-20s. They still have room to improve, and without Haliburton someone or multiple someones will have to step up.
Winning a championship is hard. By the time the Finals were winding down, it had been two months straight of playoff basketball for the Pacers and Thunder. An NBA championship requires a team to win 16 postseason games.
A return to this stage is never guaranteed, which is another reason why this loss stings so bad. All we can do is look forward and trust that the Pacers as an organizational whole will learn from this experience and use it in the future when another opportunity hopefully comes along.
In terms of the best part about this playoffs, it was how unifying and exciting it felt. The entire city of Indianapolis was behind this team, ready to explode each time the Pacers came through in dramatic fashion or not. The beauty of sports was brought to the forefront as I watched and experienced this team. The uncertainty of what will happen next, to then be met with joy, excitement, and memories made are what separates sports from other enjoyments in life.
I’ll never forget Abby and I walking out of Gainbridge, half leaving because it seemed Game 5 vs the Bucks was a lost cause, half leaving because maybe if we did the juju would shift. We were walking on Delaware Street and I checked the score: Pacers win. The first comeback of many in this playoffs.
I’ll never forget where I was in each subsequent round watching Tyrese hit clutch shot after clutch shot.
A team of underrated guys that made a run for the ages. And that’s not hyperbole, either. I think each player on the roster has a case to be made their value is higher than general perception. Well, maybe not anymore after this NBA Finals and the general public watching.
Until next season comes around, I’m glad we have a summer to recover and then gear up for the 2025-2026 Pacers. And don’t forget about the Indiana Fever! Basketball is still full throttle here in the state where it’s more than just basketball.
Thank you, Pacers. For a playoff run filled with memories to last a lifetime. I hope I live to see them hoist the trophy at the end of another incredible playoffs.