Tyrese Haliburton Reveals Biggest Fear of Pacers-Thunder Finals

The NBA Finals are set to kick off on Thursday, and it is set to be a doozy. The Indiana Pacers will travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder for Game 1 of the finals.

The Pacers, as they’ve done for the past two series, will look to steal home court and inch closer to being crowned NBA champions. The task, however, will be a big one as they will face their most challenging opponent yet.

The Pacers will have their hands full this series, and they know the challenge ahead, including star guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton did not mince any words when discussing the challenge that the Thunder will present.

"You want to go through the best team, the best challenge. This is the best challenge," Haliburton said. "This is the best team in the NBA. It's been the best team in the NBA all year. They're well-coached. They just do everything so well. There's no shortcuts to beating this team. We know the odds are stacked against us. It is what it is. We want to be here. We want to play against the best. This is the best. We look forward to the challenge as a group."

Haliburton: "There's no shortcuts to beating this team."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) June 4, 2025

The Pacers lost the two regular season matchups against the Pacers this season. Oklahoma City has been dominant throughout the regular season and has continued to display that dominance in the playoffs.

The Thunder have been great all season long, having the third-best offensive rating in the NBA and the best defensive rating in the league during the regular season. On top of that, the Thunder also have the second-best rating in NBA history of 12.8, only behind arguably the greatest team of all time, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

However, the Pacers have been just as dominant since the calendar flipped to 2025. Indiana started the season a bit shaky, but they have completely turned it around, and that has been evident.

The Pacers may be massive underdogs in this series, but they are confident they can get the job done. Indiana has all the tools to give the Thunder a run for their money and possibly beat them in a seven-game series.

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