Tyrese Haliburton Doesn't Mind Being the Underdog in NBA Finals

The Thunder are currently the heavy favorites for the title.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton on May 31, 2025. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

As of 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder are heavy favorites to win the NBA title vs. the Indiana Pacers. But Tyrese Haliburton, point guard for Indiana, doesn't seem bothered by the odds stacked against him and his team.

"As long as the guys in our locker room, the people in this building believe, then anything is possible," Haliburton told reporters during a Tuesday media scrum, which also saw an interruption for a Culver's order. "So, we're really excited about the challenge. It's a really good team in front of us, and no 'expert' or analyst is going to pick us [to win] and that's okay. We like it better that way. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Watch that below:

"No quote, unquote expert or analyst is going to pick us, and that's okay. We like it better that way."

Tyrese Haliburton ahead of the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/rDcZIuawGL

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 3, 2025

That's about as good an attitude as you can have when the oddsmakers are down on you. But in Vegas's defense, the Thunder really are just that good. The young squad entered the playoffs with the best record in the NBA, then pretty handily moved through the postseason to clinch a Finals appearance that felt inevitable months ago.

That said, Indiana has surprised this playoff run, namely when they expertly handled the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers in a 4-1 second-round gentlemen's sweep, and could easily shock us all yet again.

The fun begins Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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