INDIANAPOLIS — In 49 states, it’s just basketball. But this is Indiana.
This was the saying echoing through Pacer fans’ heads when their team took the court on Sunday, June 22nd, in Game Seven of the NBA Finals. The crowd had worn it on shirts just days earlier when the series went to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. If the team won this game, they would walk away with the first Larry O’Brian trophy in team history, and complete one of the most memorable playoff runs in NBA history.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s rewind and reflect on how the team got there in the first place. The Crossroads State has been a haven for the hardwood since the beginning. From Hoosiers in 1986, to Indiana University’s perfect season in 75-76, the state has seen some of the biggest moments the sport can give. Yet, there is one accolade Indiana residents haven’t seen: an NBA championship.
The Indiana Pacers came into the league in 1976 as a result of the ABA-NBA merger. The team had experienced some success in the ABA, winning three championships in the league. However, success in the NBA proved more elusive to them, as the team had not won a championship despite being to the finals once. These years of varying success were not without their memorable moments, though. Reggie Miller, widely recognized as the best player to ever put on a Pacers uniform, gave the franchise hope. After him, players like Paul George and Victor Oladipo were the beacons of light in Indiana. Yet, despite their best efforts (like Oladipo taking prime LeBron James to seven games), the franchise remained ringless.
In 2021, the team announced the rehiring of head coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle had coached the team from 2003-2007, then had gone on to win a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. With the hiring of Carlisle, the team signaled a new era of Pacers basketball. The team began developing its most recent core with draft picks like Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, both selected in 2022. Both players quickly began carving out spots in the rotation, and trades for players like Obi Toppin began in 2023 to put the league on notice.
“I loved the [Bennedict] Mathurin selection in the draft. I remember watching it at a hotel in Atlanta. [Andrew] Nembhard in the second round was great value and an ideal secondary playmaker in Indy’s backcourt,” said Liam Vetter, an Indiana sports fan.
The biggest move of all, however, was when the team traded Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield, Tristan Thomson, and a young guard named Tyrese Haliburton. When the trade happened, Carlisle called Haliburton an “elite young point guard that affects the game positively in many, many ways.” This analysis would soon prove to be prophetic.
In the 2022-2023 season the team went 35-47, earning the seventh overall pick. After the draft, the team ended up with Jarace Walker and Ben Shephard, both energetic athletes who could impact both sides of the floor.
During the 2024 season, the team made it to the finals of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, ultimately falling short to the Los Angeles Lakers though. On January 17th, the team acquired Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in a trade that saw them give up Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora, as well as three future first round picks.
“Loved the Siakam deal and how GM Chad Buchanan capitalized on Bruce Brown’s peak and a few late first round picks for an all NBA player and arguably top 25 player in this league,” said Vetter.
The team finished the season 47-35, earning a spot as the six seed in the Eastern Conference. The team made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.
The 2025 season was must-see TV for Pacers fans and basketball fans in general. Despite a slow start, the team soon corrected course and pulled off some incredible moments. The team broke their record for most points scored in a game when they beat the Washington Wizards 162-109. On March 11th, the team pulled off a game winner versus the Milwaukee Bucks in which the team ran a football play and Haliburton hit a game winning three. The team finished with a record of 50-32 and secured a four seed. The team was set to face the Bucks again, and if they won, they would have a tough matchup against the 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the first time the Cavs had held the 1 seed since LeBron James was on their roster.
“I believed our peak was the ECF once again. Earlier in the season when we were struggling I thought we were going to squeak in the [Play-In Tournament] and it would’ve been another mediocre season for Indiana,” said Vetter. “However, once new years arrived I had new hope and once again believed we could make some noise in the playoffs. Once the bracket came out, I liked our draw vs Milwaukee but was nervous against Cleveland, especially after their dominance vs Milwaukee.”
The playoffs started, with Indiana beating the Bucks in five games, with heroics from Haliburton in game five. With just seconds left in overtime and the Pacers down by one, he drove to the lane and made a layup to put the team up.
Then, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team was heavily an underdog, as the Cavs had swept the 8-seed Miami Heat in the first round. However, the Pacers did not let the noise get to them, as they shot out to a 2-0 lead in the series, off the back of yet another Haliburton game winner, this time a stepback three as time expired. After dropping a game, the team won two straight to win the series and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals, a series that they had been swept in just a year earlier. To make things even more interesting, the team was set to face the New York Knicks, a franchise that has potentially the most history entwined with the Pacers in all of the NBA. For instance, the infamous Reggie Miller “choke” celebration debuted in Madison Square Garden against them.
And, like so many things in this postseason, history was going to repeat itself again. In Game One, who else but Tyrese Haliburton hit a long two-pointer to send the game to overtime and hit the choke celebration in MSG again. The Pacers went on to win that game, as well as three more en route to their first Finals in 25 years. Many fans were excited, with comments like “MY BEAUTIFUL BOYS WE ARE HEADED TO THE FINALS,” and “…if there’s one defining quality about this Pacers team all season long: don’t count them out!” flooding the Pacer’s Instagram feed. The stage was set. The Indiana Pacers versus the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 Finals. The Pacers were fighting for their first title, the Thunder for their first since relocating.
Gameday for Game One dawned, a chance to set the tone of a series early. Since the Thunder were the one seed, the first two games would be played in OKC. After the first three quarters of Game One, it was looking like it was going to be a short series, and the Thunder were going to make quick work of the Pacers. With 10 minutes left in the fourth, the Thunder were up by 15 points. But wait, the Pacers just made a three. And then they forced a turnover. And then they scored again? What’s going on? To many watching the series on national TV, the Pacers were attempting to mount a near impossible comeback. To Pacers fans, they knew what was happening. The ‘Cers whittled down the lead to the point that with 11 seconds left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a fadeaway to give the Pacers last shot down by one. Any guesses as to what happened? Tyrese Haliburton doing what he does best, hitting a pullup jumper to get the lead with .3 seconds remaining. The comeback was complete. Pacers were up 1-0. Then came the back-and-forth of a good series. The Pacers won a couple, lost a couple, and it all led to this. Game Seven. Tyrese Haliburton was playing through a calf injury, but nonetheless, vibes were high in Indy. Fans packed the Fieldhouse for a watch party since the game was in OKC. They were treated to a show right away, with Haliburton nailing back to back triples in the early minutes, and the Pacers jumping out to a lead.
Then- disaster. While Haliburton began to drive to the lane, he collapsed, in obvious pain. He banged his fist on the ground, openly crying. This was when the collective stomach of Hoosiers everywhere dropped. The replay confirmed everyone’s worst fears- a torn achilles tendon. Haliburton wouldn’t be able to finish the biggest game of the year.
“When Haliburton went down with his torn [achilles], I genuinely cried for the first time in a long time. You can see what the moment meant to him and the fans understood as well,” said Vetter.
The injury would ultimately prove to be too much to overcome, as the Pacers lost Game Seven, but it cannot be understated how much this Pacers playoff run meant to people.
“Haliburton has proven to be a top 3 clutch player in Playoff history. Nembhard consistently rises in the playoffs and the depth of this team is the cornerstone of the biggest underdog story in the NBA in recent memory… This playoff run has put Indiana on the map and finally gave the recognition we deserve. The fans in Indiana were louder than ever and were a huge factor why we played so well in the playoffs,” said Vetter.
Alex Sutherland, a Floyd student said “I felt like it brought Indiana together as a whole and I’ve never seen basically everybody in Indiana rooting for a team as much.”
One user on Instagram wrote “Remember, this team was ‘supposed to lose in 5 to the Cavs’… Hold your heads high Pacers Fans and be DAM PROUD OF THIS TEAM. It ain’t over and y’all be back”
The 2025 Indiana Pacers were a lot of things. They were fast paced. They played with chemistry. They were proud to represent the city of Indianapolis. But one thing they are not is blamed for losing. The state of Indiana rose to the occasion of these playoffs, and when Haliburton is fully recovered, the state will be ready to root louder than ever.
