It's downright confusing how anyone would think this, but Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton set the record straight.
The post Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton shuts down wild NBA Finals conspiracy appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The NBA Finals matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder ended up being a barnburner, but not too many were convinced that this would be the case. Two small-market teams were colliding, and yet they drew plenty of attention and fanfare thanks to the ultra-competitive series in which the two teams needed seven games to settle the score. In fact, some were neck-deep in conspiracy theories, insinuating that the NBA somehow rigged the proceedings to have those two teams make it that far in the playoffs in the first place.
But for Tyrese Haliburton, the very idea that the league would rig something for the Pacers and Thunder is downright perplexing. After all, they are not exactly teams residing in cities with big media markets. If anything, according to Haliburton, the foe they faced in the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks, would be the recipient of such a boost, if it did exist (which it doesn’t).
“Well, the problem is—I play for the Indiana Pacers. So, if the NBA was going to rig the league, the last two teams they’d probably rig it for would be the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Haliburton said in a guest appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, via HoopsHype.
“I mean, I think that if the league wanted to rig it, they would’ve probably rigged it for the Knicks to be successful. So I think it’s just kind of good luck — just happenstance — that we happened to be there.”
It’s a bit befuddling that anyone would suggest that the NBA is scripted and that somehow, it’s the Pacers and Thunder that benefitted from it. Wouldn’t it make more sense for a team like the Los Angeles Lakers or, like Haliburton said, the Knicks to be favored?
Pacers and Thunder combine for most exciting NBA Finals in years
The Pacers and Thunder may not be your typical big-market powerhouses, but make no mistake about it, the quality of basketball they played in the 2025 NBA Finals was one of the best anyone has seen in years. Both teams gave it their all defensively, engaged in chess matches tactically, and had star players such as Haliburton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Pascal Siakam pop off.
The successes of both the Pacers and Thunder show that with the proper roster-building, harmonious locker room chemistry, and elite coaching, any team in the league can compete for a title — even those not blessed with fortunate geography.
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Category: Basketball
