Haliburton Says Game 7 Narratives Will Be 'Almost Poison' and He Deleted Social Media
Following the Indiana Pacers' 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday, superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton preached the importance of blocking out any outside noise entering Sunday's Game 7.
Speaking to reporters following Indiana's series-extending victory (beginning at the 2:05 mark of video), Haliburton expressed his belief that the Pacers have to focus solely on what they plan to do on the court in Game 7, and nothing else (h/t ESPN's Jamal Collier):
"The narratives are gonna be almost poison. To talk about what this would mean to our city and our organization and legacy talk, and we played so well and now the pressure is on [the Thunder] ... there's going to be narratives that we can't really pay attention to.
"We've got to control what we can. So much of these games has come down to who's gonna start the fight from a physicality standpoint, take care of the ball better, rebound the ball better. Those are the important things that we need to focus on. I don't even want to say, like, celebrate this one tonight and move on. It's done with. We did our job to take care of home court, and we've gotta be ready to compete in Game 7."
Haliburton has taken some personal steps to remain locked in during the NBA Finals, including limiting his social media usage.
When asked about the fact that he hasn't posted on X since June 6, which was the day after Indiana beat OKC in Game 1 of the Finals, Haliburton confirmed that he has kept his social media time to a minimum (beginning at the 3:50 mark of video).
Haliburton said he has "tried my best" to stay off social media by deleting the apps off his phone, although he did admit to going on X from time to time to keep up with WWE news.
While Haliburton has been paramount to the Pacers' playoff success, it was uncertain until Thursday whether he would be able to suit up in Game 6 after he suffered a calf strain in Game 5.
Head coach Rick Carlisle monitored Haliburton's minutes, but he still managed to make a sizable impact with 14 points, five assists and two steals in 23 minutes of action.
Now, Haliburton is set to lead the Pacers into what could be a franchise-defining game for both organizations.
The Pacers have a chance to win their first-ever NBA title and their first championship of any kind since winning their third ABA title in four years in 1973.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are looking to secure their first championship since moving to Oklahoma City, and the first title for the franchise since the Seattle SuperSonics won it all in 1979.
