Tyrese Haliburton Says Pacers Fans Are 'Hungry' for NBA Title After Game 3 Finals Win
The Indiana Pacers have been in the NBA since the 1976-77 season, and have never won a title in that time. Suffice to say, Indy fans are ready for that to change.
"You don't want to take it for granted," star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of being in the NBA Finals after the Pacers took a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. "I was like three months old the last time [the Pacers] made the Finals [in the 1999-00 season]. I think our fans are hungry, man. They want to watch winning basketball. They want to be a part of it."
The Indiana crowd was undoubtedly raucous during the 116-107 win, namely in a fourth quarter that saw the Pacers outscore OKC 32-18 and seize control of the game.
"Our crowd was great," Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the win. "They were everything that we hoped for. ... Especially in the fourth quarter, it went up a few decibels."
The crowd wasn't the only factor in the Game 3 win, of course. The Pacers forced 17 OKC turnovers, the most the Thunder have had in the 2024-25 postseason. Indiana also blocked 11 shots, played fantastic team offense (24 assists) and got incredible performances off the bench from Bennedict Mathurin (game-high 27 points) and T.J. McConnell (10 points, five assists, five steals).
On a night when the Pacers shot just 9-of-27 from three, they did just about everything else right, eventually wearing out the Thunder in a dominant fourth quarter. Having excellent depth surely helped them keep their legs, but the energy provided by the frenzied Gainbridge Fieldhouse fans didn't hurt.
And now, the Pacers are just two wins away from finally securing the franchise's first title, with Game 4 set for Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC).
