Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton says the Pacers must keep their focus firmly on the Oklahoma City Thunder and block out the “poison” of narratives popping up around game seven of the NBA Finals. The Pacers pushed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder to a winner-take-all game seven with a stunning blowout victory on Thursday, Haliburton inspiring his teammates with a 14-point performance two days after he limped through game five with a right calf strain.
Now the Pacers have a chance to claim the first NBA championship for a franchise that won three American Basketball Association titles before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. “The narratives are going to be almost poison,” Haliburton said. “To talk about what this would mean to our city and our organization and legacy talk, and how 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.”
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“We’ve got to control what we can. So much of these games has come down to who is going to 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 …we’ve got to be ready to compete in game seven.”
Sunday’s title showdown in Oklahoma City will be the 20th game seven in Finals history, and the first since 2016 — when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors on their home floor to complete their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and claim the title. The LeBron James-led Cavs were the first road team to win a Finals game seven since 1978. Home teams are 15-4 in championship game sevens and Haliburton knows the Pacers face a monumental task in trying to polish off the 68-win Thunder on their home court.
“There’s no such thing as, like, a pretty game seven. They’re usually ugly bloodbaths,” Haliburton said. “We’ve got to go in and just figure it out. These guys are going to play hard. They make shots at a higher clip at home. Their crowd is amazing. This is why we do what we do,” he added. “This is the peak, the pinnacle of our sport.”
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