Pacers Embracing Massive Postseason Challenge

No one expected the Indiana Pacers to be here. There was plenty of doubt around the league that they would be able to repeat the performance they had last year when they made the Eastern Conference Finals.

After beating the top seed in the East in just five games, they are just eight games away from winning the first NBA championship in franchise history. They are embracing this challenge.

Tyrese Haliburton is perhaps the most confident player left in these playoffs, only rivaled by Anthony Edwards. Haliburton has shown that he plays his best in clutch situations.

Rick Carlisle has instilled confidence in this team, as well. He knows that the Pacers have as good a chance as anybody to win the title this year.

“The league is wide open this year,” Carlisle said. “We’ve just got to keep believing."

While Carlisle is supremely confident in his team, he also understands that there is going to be a lot of attention around this team now that they are one of the final four teams left.

“I don’t care about the attention; what matters to me is the guys in the locker room. Attention, this time of year can be a curse. We can’t start reading our press clippings. We can’t start doing that stuff.”

This is a team that has been doubted all year, so they aren't going to start letting the positive attention get to their heads. They are going to continue to embrace the underdog role.

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Whether it's the Knicks or the Celtics, the Pacers feel very confident that they can beat whoever they face in these East Finals. They played both teams in last year's playoffs, beating the Knicks.

This is a team that was just happy to be in the playoffs a year ago. They were playing with house money, and Haliburton has acknowledged that.

This year, things are much different. The Pacers expected to be here when the year began. They set a goal to win a championship, and they are close to doing just that.

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