Rick Carlisle And The Indiana Pacers Improbable Run Ends In Devestating Game Seven Loss

After battling to the end under brutal circumstances tonight, Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers came up short in their quest to stun the NBA world and win the Finals.

At every turn, Carlisle had to guide this to overcome what looked impossible. It was no different tonight when Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury in the first quarter of the game, and Indiana once again had their backs against the wall. The Pacers rallied and made a game of it in the first half, but they ran out of gas in the second half, and the Thunder won the championship.

The unbelievable run started off with another first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, including an incredible comeback in game five of that series. After sending Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks home, Indiana was a massive underdog against the No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers won game one on the road vs the Cavs and went on to handle them in five games, sending them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row. Instead of matching up with the Boston Celtics, it was a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.

In unbelievable fashion, the Pacers pulled off another incredible comeback in game one against the Knicks and that set the tone for the rest of the series. Indiana scrapped with the Knicks for six games and came out on top, sending them to the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years.

After pulling another incredible comeback in game against the 68-win Thunder, the Pacers showed that despite being an underdog for the third straight series. It was one of the most entertaining NBA Finals in years, but had a devestating ending. Who knows what would have happened had Hailburton stayed healthy, but that is a moot point now.