Thunder Solve Gritty Pacers to Win NBA Finals

These sobering developments may exacerbate the pain the Pacers already felt for failing to win their first NBA title in franchise history after appearing in their first NBA Finals in 25 years. This incident also raises concerns about Haliburton’s availability for the 2025-26 season considering he may have injured his right Achilles tendon.

Nonetheless, Haliburton’s injury should not soil the other dominant themes in this compelling NBA Finals.

The Pacers, seeded fifth in the Eastern Conference still should feel proud for challenging the West’s top seed to seven games. Haliburton, who had nine points on 3-for-5 shooting before his injury, should feel validated for setting a franchise record for most postseason assists (197), for competing through injuries and for making four game-winning shots in the playoffs. Bennedict Mathurin (24 points), Pascal Siakam (16), McConnell (16) and Andrew Nembhard (15) should receive kudos for forming a reliable supporting cast. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle should receive credit for maximizing this roster by empowering his team to run their own plays, by trusting Haliburton with the offense and by encouraging them to compete at a fast pace.

“I told these guys coming into this that there's no feel-good scenario when you get to the Finals and are unable to get it done,” Carlisle told reporters. “It really hurts on the one hand. On the other hand, this team has given all of Pacer Nation something to be very proud of.”

The Thunder still should feel they earned their first NBA title since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves Finals MVP, with his 29 points and playoff career-high 12 assists capturing how he has refined his scoring and improved his playmaking. Thunder general manager Sam Presti deserves praise for acquiring Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George in 2019 as well as for drafting Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort. Williams (20 points), Holmgren (18), Alex Caruso (10) and Cason Wallace (10) deserve kudos for relieving Gilgeous-Alexander’s workload. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault deserves credit for overcoming some Finals hiccups with his rotations and for how he and his coaching staff have developed players.

“So much weight off my shoulders. So much stress relieved,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “No matter what, you go into every night wanting to win. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. Tonight could have been one of those nights where we found a way. I’m so proud of this group. I wouldn't want to do it with any other group in the world.”

Even with putting the Thunder’s and Pacers’ season in proper context, it seems understandable if the Pacers struggle to reconcile with two questions this offseason and possibly beyond.

First question: Could the Pacers have won the 2025 NBA title had Haliburton stayed healthy for the remainder of Game 7? Haliburton made three of his four 3-point attempts and appeared poised for a signature performance. Even after Haliburton left the game, the Pacers held a 48-47 halftime lead by relying on their stellar supporting cast and hustle. The Thunder tilted the game in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana by 14 in the period. But could the Pacers have absorbed Oklahoma City’s depth and adjustments with Haliburton by their side?

“Every time we were out there and the game felt like it was getting away, we kept battling because we wanted to make Indiana proud and we wanted to make our fans proud,” Siakam told reporters. “We tried our best. But at the end of the day, you win some, you lose some, and we’ve just got to be strong and keep going. I told everyone, I love every single one of these guys, and I wouldn’t do it with anybody else.”

Second question: Will Haliburton miss the entire 2025-26 season? Haliburton didn’t speak to the media after Game 7, and Carlisle declined to speak about the injury. The Pacers will have more clarity soon on the severity of Haliburton’s injury. But Haliburton’s father, John, already told ESPN that the family fears Tyrese injured his right Achilles tendon. Typically, it takes a player about 10 to 12 months to return from such an injury. Though the 25-year-old Haliburton may still mirror his All-Star caliber play once he returns, uncertainty awaits about what that process will look like.

“All of our hearts dropped, but he will be back,” Carlisle told reporters. “I don't have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time. And I believe he’ll make a full recovery.”

It seems foolish to blame Haliburton’s injury on anyone. The Pacers’ training staff cleared Haliburton after seeing significant improvement in Game 6 after a sluggish Game 5 performance. Carlisle pledged to monitor Haliburton closely for any signs of discomfort. Haliburton promised he would stay honest with Carlisle about how his body feels. Haliburton simply made an awkward twist on a non-contact play.

The Pacers will have all of this summer to receive clarity on Haliburton’s health. Meanwhile, they should take pride in what they accomplished this season. They didn’t just advance to the NBA Finals because their Eastern Conference opponents nursed various injuries. The Pacers arrived on their own merits. Before Game 7, video circulated of the Thunder already having painted buses for their championship parade. That wasn’t inevitable, though. Indiana challenged OKC through the entire series.

“Just a tremendous amount of gratitude for the character, the skill, how together they were, how hard they continue to fight no matter what,” Carlisle told reporters. “You don’t author comebacks like this team did, really, over the course of the entire season without just an indomitable competitive spirit to fight together.”

Regardless of Haliburton’s availability or limitations, the Thunder still showed they had enough to prevail. After spending the past five years collecting assets and developing players, OKC blended its talent, continuity and youth together to form a mature group capable of winning high-stakes playoff games. Therefore, the Thunder earned this moment.

OKC showed its youth when the team initially struggled to pop champagne bottles together in the locker room. Caruso, who also won the 2020 NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in the campus bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic, instructed his teammates. That’s OK. Though the NBA has not featured a repeat champion since 2018, the Thunder certainly could experience this elation next season again.

“It was a good first try. We’ll get some rest, reset and try to go again next year and see if we can do it again,” Caruso told reporters. “We’ll be better next year.”