For the third straight time, the Pacers will open a series on the road.
Indiana’s last hurdle to a first franchise title is the 68-win, league-best Oklahoma City Thunder, led by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But star guard Tyrese Haliburton showed up to NBA Finals media day on June 5 (PH time), Thursday grinning about the never-ending narrative about him.
“I love to hear that stuff,” the 24-year-old point guard said, referring to the endless stream of doubt that has followed him since his college days and into the pros.
He added, “I’ll continue to tell you guys in certain moments that it doesn’t matter what people say. But it matters. And I enjoy it.”
If confidence were currency, Haliburton might be the richest man in Indiana in the past couple of months.
One day before the Pacers play their first title series game since 2000, the 25-year-old leaned into the narrative he knows best: underestimated, often overlooked, and most recently, overrated.
This ruthless, machine-like Oklahoma City squad is the consensus favorite — younger, yet feistier, especially on the defensive end. And yet, according to Haliburton, this moment feels like it was always his.
“I’ve never stopped [being fueled by doubters]. It will never stop,” the two-time All-Star insisted.
"I've never stopped [being fueled by doubters]... any doubt is always good for me." 🗣?@TyHaliburton22 welcomes criticism on his game 😤 pic.twitter.com/gGGTaYJFRf
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 4, 2025
He implied: “I think that’s part of my drive. I want to squeeze every ounce of God-given ability that I have. That extra doubt, that extra fuel always helps.”
The lanky point guard has taken a team that few expected to survive the first round to within four wins of their first franchise title since joining the league in 1976.
Now comes SGA — another stoic tactician at the point and another litmus test for Haliburton’s belief in himself.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. He’s an amazing player. MVP of our league, rightfully so. But we belong here,” he said.
Inside the Pacers locker room, that belief is mutual. There are no egos, no superstars demanding the last shot or the spotlight — just a 15-man roster that knows what it’s like to be doubted and thrives on it.
“I feel like any given night, anybody can go off,” said Myles Turner, the longest-tenured Indiana player.
"Any given night, anybody can go off."@Original_Turner on what he loves about the Finals-bound @Pacers 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2025
G1: Thursday, 6/5 at 8:30pm/et on ABC
Turner has been through rebuilds, rumors, and years of playoff frustration, but now, he says, the team finally understands itself — and each other.
Nobody’s asked to carry the whole load, but everyone’s expected to step up when their name is called.
“We don’t expect anyone to pick us. It’s been that way the whole playoffs, the whole season. It’s always been us against everyone. Doesn’t change now,” said reigning East Finals MVP and 2019 champion Pascal Siakam.
Head coach Rick Carlisle sees it too, knowing well what a championship underdog looks like. He led the Dallas Mavericks to their first and only championship in 2011, when Dirk Nowitzki and a group of seasoned veterans knocked off the favored Miami Heat in six games.
“We’re aware of what’s expected here. We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us. It’s simply going to come down to us being able to play our game at the best possible level,” Carlisle said.
The blueprint isn’t complicated: take care of the ball, make shots, defend without fouling. But the identity of this Pacers group — fun, fearless and unbothered by noise — might be their greatest edge.
“I know who I am. But that extra doubt? That always helps,” Haliburton insisted.
