Pacers' Rick Carlisle Reacts to Viral Video of Thunder 'Champions' Buses Before Game 7
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was sidetracked during his pre-Game 7 media availability after he watched videos of Oklahoma City Thunder championship parade buses already painted and ready to go.
"I just saw a video that's probably going to go viral of some buses, open-top buses, presumably for the parade that are already painted with them as champions. That's all I'm thinking about right now," Carlisle told reporters ahead of Game 7 – scheduled for tip-off Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.
As Game 7 edges toward tipoff, it appeared the Thunder were already looking ahead—presumably to a celebration—after videos surfaced showing their 2025 championship parade buses prepped and ready to roll.
If the Indiana Pacers needed any more fuel heading into Sunday’s winner-take-all finale, the leaked footage provided it.
The Pacers have battled through a gauntlet in the East, knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks to reach the NBA Finals.
In the NBA Finals, after a stunning Game 1 win on the road, Oklahoma City responded to even the series 1-1 as it shifted to Indiana. The Pacers took Game 3 at home to go up 2-1 but dropped the next two, falling into a 3-2 hole.
Facing elimination Thursday night, Indiana rose to the occasion with a dominant 108-91 win to force a decisive Game 7.
Now, as the Pacers step into Thunder territory with everything on the line, they’ll do so with added motivation—courtesy of OKC’s premature parade plans.
