The Pacers enter the championship series as the underdogs on the road, a place they have thrived thus far in the playoffs. They defeated the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals series, 4-1, and the No. 3 New York Knicks in the Conference finals, 4-2.

Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle Shares 'Sad' News Before NBA Finals Game 1 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is locked in on defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, he's also keeping a pulse on what's happening around the league.

Tyrese Haliburton did it again. The Knicks killer struck down Thunder with a dagger of a shot with less than a second left on the clock to lift the Pacers to a 111-110 win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.