Domineering, Pacers Halliburton cleverly criticizes experts predictions for the NBA Finals

Tyres Halliburton and the Pacers enjoyed their promising form in the NBA Finals showdown against the Thunder. The 2025 NBA Finals will kick off in less than 24 hours, with the Indiana Pacers eager to bring the strong momentum accumulated over the past three rounds to the upcoming showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not many people expected the Pacers to be where they are today, but they have overcome all kinds of difficulties since early April and now they only need to win four more games to win their first NBA championship. The Pacers have come to this point today and deserve the respect of the whole world, but they face a huge challenge again, as the Thunder are very different from any other team they have encountered so far this year’s playoffs. The Thunder have historically excellent defenses, and playing styles like Indiana are usually completely defeated.

Despite this, the Pacers have faced such difficulties before, but they still stand firm. They are enjoying their "weakness" status, and Tyreth Halliburton is ready to prove that all doubters are wrong in the way they have been doing all year.

"As long as our teammates in the locker room and people in this building believe, then everything is possible. We are very excited about the challenge. No expert or analyst will choose us, and that's OK. We prefer it," Halliburton said in an interview with the media via the Pacers' official X account Wednesday night. The Pacers are one of the least favored teams in the NBA Finals in recent years, but this compact, dynamic team seems to be able to thrive in adversity. ESPN does not have an “expert” predicting the Thunder would beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, and 20 out of a 23-expert judging panel predicted the Thunder would beat the Pacers in this year’s NBA Finals.

But the Pacers have proved time and time again that they will not be underestimated until the final whistle sounds. Can the Pacers continue to be the team of destiny this year? The Pacers staged an epic reversal in the first three rounds of the playoffs, causing huge psychological trauma to their opponents.

In Game 5 of the series against the Milwaukee Bucks, they reversed strongly from a 7-pointer in the last minute of overtime to secure the victory. Against the Cavaliers, they reversed the disadvantage of 7 points with 47 seconds left, leading 2-0 after two away games. Later against the New York Knicks, they reversed strongly from a 15-point dilemma in the last three minutes, won the first game, and dealt a huge blow to the Knicks, putting them in trouble for a while and have not recovered yet.

The core of these epic reversals is Tyres Halliburton, who scored a winning layup against the Bucks, a winning step-back three-pointer against the Cavaliers, and a long two-pointer that dragged the Knicks Series first game into overtime. Will he show his superb skills again when facing the Thunder this time?