Haliburton Says ‘Nothing That’s Happened Before Matters’ After Pacers Force Game 7

Even though the Indiana Pacers kept their season alive with an impressive 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton knows it won’t matter if they lose the next game.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s victory, Haliburton explained “nothing that’s happened before matters” if the Pacers don’t win Game 7.

“We’ve got one game,” Haliburton said. “One game. Nothing that’s happened before matters. And nothing that’s going to happen after matters.”

Haliburton went on to say that being part of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals is something he’s “dreamed of” for his entire life (starts at 6:35 mark).

One thing Haliburton won’t be doing in the lead up to Game 7 is following online talking points to avoid the “poison” narratives that could bubble up.

“The next couple of days, the narratives are going to be almost poison,” said Haliburton.

Pacers vibes have been all over the place for the past week. The blown lead at home in Game 4 and tough loss in Game 5 could have signaled an end to his magical run.

Those losses were compounded by Haliburton suffering a calf injury in the first quarter of Game 5 that impacted his performance with just four points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field.

Haliburton was able to start Game 6 after going through pregame workouts. He was a game-high plus-25 in just 23 minutes, scoring 14 points and dishing out five assists.

The Pacers had six players score at least 10 points and their defense forced the Thunder to commit 21 turnovers to earn the win. They are now one win away from the franchise’s first NBA championship.

This will be the first Game 7 in the Finals since 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors. The Pacers and Thunder will play their winner-take-all game at Paycom Center on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.