OSHKOSH – Does Hali have one more moment left in him?
Oshkosh and another Midwest city are certainly hoping he does.
The calf strain that crippled him in Game 5 wasn’t enough to stop Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers from forcing do-or-die on the NBA’s biggest stage through a 108-91 blowout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, June 19.
Now, the man who has lived for the moment is faced with his biggest yet — Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
“We’ve got one game,” Haliburton said in a postgame interview. “One game. It’s nothing that’s happened before matters, and nothing that’s going to happen after matters.”
That one game, a winner-takes-all contest on the road at Paycom Center, is all that separates Indiana from its first NBA title in the franchise’s 57-year history.
It’s not the only piece of history Haliburton would be making with the Pacers.
Indiana is looking to become just the fifth road team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
With an unthinkable victory in Oklahoma City June 22, Indiana would become only the fifth road team to take Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and just the second in the last 27 years.
The Cavaliers (2016 at Warriors), Bullets (1978 at Supersonics), Celtics (1969 at Lakers) and Nationals (1955 at Pistons) are the only franchises to have achieved the feat during the previous 19 times the NBA Finals went to a Game 7.
Yet, Haliburton already knows what history feels like, having hit a clutch game-winning or tying basket in every series while taking Indiana on its deepest postseason ever.
“As a basketball fan, there’s nothing like a Game 7 in the NBA Finals,” Haliburton said. “So to be here is really exciting.”
That wasn’t the case early on for the Pacers fans, who watched their All-NBA guard miss his first four shots all while the home side started the elimination game trailing 10-2.
“Hali” seemingly got past playing through the discomfort of a lower leg injury, though, converting five of his next eight looks and dropping five assists as Indiana led by as many as 31 points.
Haliburton had a +25 and the game’s biggest play despite playing just 23 minutes.
And although he finished with “just” 14 points and one rebound, Haliburton’s impact was such that he led all players in plus-minus with a game-high +25 in just 23 minutes.
Nowhere was his impact more felt on the game’s biggest play. What else is new?
Filling the passing lane, Haliburton deflected a Jalen Williams pass intended for Lou Dort before tightroping the sideline to come up with the steal.
He then flashed his trademark no-look pass to a streaking Pascal Siakam for a thunderous one-handed dunk over Williams that sent an already rocking Gainbridge Fieldhouse into a further frenzy.
All this from man who had to limp off the floor only a few nights earlier.
“If I can walk, then I want to be out there,” said Haliburton, who admitted he likely wouldn’t have suited up if this were a game in the regular season. “I just wanted to be out there with my brothers to compete. That was important to me.”
How to watch Tyrese Haliburton for Game 7 of the NBA Finals
Haliburton will have two days to rest the troublesome calf before returning to the floor for Game 7 in Oklahoma City at 7 p.m. June 22.
The 2025 NBA Finals are aired live on ABC while fans can also stream the series on Fubo (offers a free trial) and SlingTV.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Does Haliburton have one more moment? Oshkosh and Indiana are about to find out in Game 7 of NBA Finals.
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
