The Indiana Pacers are two wins away from an NBA Championship. I’m having trouble processing this.
They now lead the NBA Finals series against a 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder team with the league MVP 2-1 with another game at home coming up on Friday. Those are words that are factual that I can’t believe I’m able to type at times.
Indiana has never been this close to an NBA title in its history. They won two games against the Lakers in the Finals but both wins came with the team down by 2 in the series. This is something else. They’re the ones putting all the pressure on the overwhelming favorites. This is special stuff. Soak this in. Breathe in the moment.
The Pacers are now 9-1 in clutch games in the playoffs. They’ve miraculously won four games through this playoff run that they had no business even making a “clutch” game let alone winning it with an iconic shot by Tyrese Haliburton, who is having an unprecedented run of clutch shotmaking. There’s nothing to compare his postseason too. It’s truly 1 of 1. He’s matching and exceeding entire Hall of Famer’s careers in terms of iconic game winners in the playoffs in a single playoff run. This is not normal.
This is special. The Pacers aren’t doing this like anyone else. They’ve claimed all year that their depth is their superpower and it’s proven true with how many different guys have had their moment throughout this postseason. Tonight, it was multiple guys off the bench: Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, and Obi Toppin. Your depth is supposed to help you win regular season games and then the rotation shortens, the opportunities and minutes go down in the playoffs as the stars lead the way but the Pacers have won two games in this series and countless other playoff games because their second unit has been so tremendous.
Mathurin just baked the best defense on the planet like it was a batch of cookies. Looking as comfortable as he could be while scoring 27 points in just 22 minutes. He didn’t even play until the second quarter. He never looked phased by the stage, repeatedly pulling up with what the defense was giving him, making well-times slot cuts on drives from teammates on multiple occasions, and nailing jumpers as he went 9 for 12 from the floor. Mathurin’s had better scoring nights but this was his best career game and it came in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
BENN MATHURIN LEADS ALL SCORERS!
🏁 27 PTS (playoff career high)
🏁 9-12 FGM
🏁 Youngest player to score 25+ PTS off the bench in the Finals (since recorded in 1970-71)@Pacers take a 2-1 NBA Finals lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/delHSkcuac
— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2025
25+ off the bench hasn’t happened in a Finals since the 2011 Mavs with Jason Terry. That series keeps popping up with Carlisle being the coach of the underdog Mavericks that had an incredible postseason run and then upset the Heatles in their first year together. 2 wins away from Carlisle having perhaps the two best runs a coach could possibly have in the playoffs.
Bennedict Mathurin after his big night:
"As much as I wanna live the moment and hold a camera, I can't as much as I would love to. I think that's gonna take away from my aggressiveness on the court. When I have the (championship) trophy in my hands then the job's finished" pic.twitter.com/fNlZsbxBiZ
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 12, 2025
McConnell, “the great white hope” as Haliburton calls him, was at his most T.J. tonight in all of the best ways. Forever known as an annoying pest with a penchant for backcourt steals off of in-bounds passes despite scouting reports for years warning opposing teams, McConnell got three steals in one game from these plays. Two in the second quarter that were critical to the Pacers run that helped them take the lead for the first time and another in the fourth. He was everywhere, always sneaking up on Thunder ball-handlers as he consistently surprised them with how fast he was getting into them immediately off the catch or even as the ball was coming into their body. McConnell finished with 10 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals something that no one has ever done since the merger in an NBA Finals game off the bench. Ever. These are historic bench performances that we all just witnessed.
T.J. MCCONNELL: ALL HEART, ALL HUSTLE
😤 10 PTS
😤 5 AST
😤 5 STL
First player since 1973-74 to record these numbers off the bench in a Finals game 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/sKcwp9U1d4
— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2025
Obi Toppin, a castoff that the Knicks discarded and traded to the Pacers for what were probably their worst two future second-round picks, just fits so perfectly with Indiana’s preferred style of play. Haliburton credits Toppin for always bringing pace into the game and this is his second huge performance of the series. After 17 points in Game 1, Toppin was quieter on the box score with only 8 points, 6 rebounds, and a pair of huge block shots but he was also a team-high +18 in this game. He has highlight finishes from Ty’s passes or missed shots when he slammed a dunk home off a rebound to put the Pacers up 7 with around three minutes left. Toppin continues to allow the Pacers to have a valuable option for a small-ball lineup that the Pacers used tonight when the Thunder have just one of their bigs on the floor and when they have zero bigs like when he closed Game 1.
Myles Turner, who has been dealing with an illness, started the game as bad as it could be as he struggled to make his open looks while Chet Holmgren was outplaying him for the first time all series. But he stuck with it, his teammates kept trusting him and hitting him when open and he’s added some big baskets, most importantly however was the rim protection as he became with Pacers all-time blocks leader in the playoffs after racking up five total tonight. Late in the fourth quarter, he completed stuffed Chet on a 3-point attempt and then followed that by completely shutting off his drive for a basket. You can’t say enough about Turner to play through an illness and probably such valuable defensive versatility against this group.
Look at Myles Turner, great defense from the Indiana Pacers. Haliburton right there when Chet catches on the roll. Turner helps on the drive, closes out to Chet and then gets a block. pic.twitter.com/cRrpBVhdFM
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 12, 2025
Tyrese Haliburton is always ready to bounce back. After what was perceived as empty calories in the fourth quarter of Game 2, Haliburton prepped a full meal for everyone watching tonight with 22 points (9 of 17), 11 assists, and 9 rebounds. He was aggressive off the catch in taking shots with even the slightest amount of daylight, utilized his floater to perfection on multiple occasions, and made plays on defense with two steals and a block. As a guy that is generally going to be the target to attack for opposing defenses, Haliburton has stepped up on that end to become an average to plus defender on his better nights. It’s not always perfect but this is a far cry from the player we saw even last season in the conference finals against the Celtics.
Pascal Siakam got the team going once again when they could do little else on offense as he scored the team’s first six points. Andrew Nembhard having his best defensive game of the series as he pestered SGA from the opening tip as he drew an offensive foul on him on the very first possession of the game. The MVP who can be penciled in for 30 every night according to Carlisle, had that 30 erased and replaced by a mediocre efficiency night for him with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting and only six free throws despite some regular season calls that went in his favor (though he tried for a few more than he got). Aaron Nesmith struggling with foul trouble for much of the night as he fouled out in 22 minutes, hits one of the biggest shots of the game from 3 off of a jump pass from the other side of the floor from Haliburton.
2 wins away. That’s all they need to become champions. Legends forever. Immortalized in Indiana and etched in the NBA History books. A chance to do something that Reggie Miller was never able to do for this franchise. That’s where we stand. Try to keep both feet on the ground so you don’t float away out of excitement. Getting two more wins will be the ultimate test for the Pacers against an elite team like the Thunder. That’s exactly what it should be when you’re playing for a championship. Here we go.
-#31-