Pacers proved naysayers wrong in Game 6 of NBA Finals

Prior to Thursday, the Pacers were 10-0 following a loss (5-0 in the postseason) since March 10, winning by an average margin of 14.7 points in those games. 

Yet, Rick Carlisle's men were heavily disrespected going into Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The oddsmakers had them as 6.5-point underdogs, and many analysts were convinced that the Thunder would close them out and celebrate their NBA championship victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

ESPN's Kendrick Perkins made the bold assertion in the pre-game show that the Thunder "had figured out" the Pacers, and Bob Myers said the Pacers had "no answer" for OKC's 1-2 punch of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Many analysts also prematurely crowned SGA the Finals MVP, treating Game 6 like a mere formality. 

Many were forced to eat crow Thursday as the Pacers forced Game 7, overcoming the odds and naysayers, like they have in the entire playoffs. Despite all the outside noise, the Pacers themselves always believed they were going to push the NBA Finals to the brink.

Tyrese Haliburton expects the media to flip the narrative and suddenly praise them, but he wants his teammates to proceed with caution.

"The next two days, everybody is going to be talking about how good we looked, how well we played, and how much pressure is on OKC," he told "SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt" after Game 6. "That's going to be the narrative, and we have to to a good job of staying away from that stuff. I think that can be poison. We need to stay within ourselves in the locker room."

Haliburton, who braved a calf strain, was the catalyst behind Indiana's 36-17 second-quarter run that swung the momentum in their favor. 

The Thunder have earned the right to start as favorites in Game 7, but the oddsmakers are disrespecting the Pacers again, pegging them as 8.5-point underdogs in the winner-takes-all contest. It's familiar territory for an Indiana team that has defied the odds every step of the way.