The Pacers have shocked the world by eliminating the Knicks for the second year in a row to advance to the NBA Finals.
Indiana defeated New York 4-2 in the conference finals, ending the series with a 125-108 victory in Game 6 and securing its first trip to the Finals since 2000.
“I can’t put into words how special this group is,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “And how much this means to us.”
Haliburton added: “We just talked about, man, this is what we got together to do. To do something special, and we’re part of it right now.”
For many, Haliburton was the out-and-out MVP of the series, since he stood up in big moments, but in the end, Pascal Siakam won the Larry Bird Trophy by one vote and proved the difference-maker.
“It is rewarding to be in this position,” said Siakam, who scored 30 points in three games during the series. “To be able to get to this level and having an opportunity to play for an NBA championship, that’s amazing.”
This Pacers team was certainly something special.
Just one example of this – They trailed by eight points with less than one minute remaining three separate times during the playoffs and came back to win – a feat only one team in NBA history had ever done before these Pacers.
“This group has been special, pulled off some very special things,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “So we don’t take it for granted at all.”
But they aren’t done yet. Carlisle confirmed “this is not time for popping champagne”, as did Siakam.
“I think you enjoy tonight, and then after that, we got to move forward,” said Siakam “We got a team out there that’s waiting for us that’s serious. They’re the best team in the NBA. So that’s the challenge. I was telling the guys, for me, I got [to the Finals] when I was in Year 3 and I thought I would get back there a lot. It didn’t happen. So it’s a hell of an opportunity, and you don’t know when you’re going to get it again.”
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