The Pacers enter the championship series as the underdogs on the road, a place they have thrived thus far in the playoffs. They defeated the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals series, 4-1, and the No. 3 New York Knicks in the Conference finals, 4-2.

Following their shocking, come-from-behind victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday night, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton discussed the motivation his team has used to get to this point.

Haliburton’s jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its only lead of Game 1, but it was the one that mattered most in a 111-110 win.