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Pacers Could Achieve a Rare Feat With Game 7 Victory

Sam Garcia

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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In front of their home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Pacers were able to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder led the Pacers 3-2 heading into the game, and the Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton was potentially out with a strained calf for the elimination game.

More News: Stephen A Smith Still Refuses to Call Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton a 'Superstar'

Everything seemed to fall into place for the Pacers, as Indiana is now one win away from winning their first NBA title.

But the Pacers will have to overcome a long-standing trend in the NBA to become the new champions. 

There have been 19 Game 7s played in the NBA Finals. In 15 of those games, the home team has won the NBA championship.

Pacers’ coach Rick Carlisle said the home court advantage would likely help Indiana stay alive in the playoffs. And now the Pacers will have to battle against the Thunder in front of the Oklahoma City crowd.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the most recent road team to win a Game 7 over the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Prior to that, only three other teams have accomplished the feat.

The Boston Celtics have won two Game 7s on the road in 1969 and 1974. Then, the then-Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) won a Game 7 four years later in 1978.

Indiana is currently 1-2 at Paycom Center in the NBA Finals. The Pacers defeated the Thunder by one point in Game 1 of the Finals, as Haliburton hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.

Oklahoma City responded with a 16-point win over Indiana in Game 2 and an 11-point victory over the Pacers in Game 5 at Paycom Center.

Clearly, it will take something, or someone, special to take down the Thunder on their home court. It has been nearly a decade since an NBA team has been able to win a Game 7 on the road in the NBA Finals.

But the Pacers, who have been widely considered underdogs throughout the NBA Finals, have shown they can defeat top teams when it counts.

More News: Pacers' Obi Toppin Has Strong Message on Tyrese Haliburton Playing Through Injury

Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Wanted Rick Carlisle to Pull Him From Game 6 For One Reason

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.

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Sam Garcia
SAM GARCIA

Samantha Garcia is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. She is also a sports writer for the Daily Bruin at UCLA.

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