Time Stamps:
0:04 Intro
0:31 Part 1, The Misfits
3:50 Part 2, The Freak
5:13 Part 3, The Giant
8:32 Part 4, The Mirror
11:12 Part 5, Goliath
16:58 Why Should We Care?
20:49 Why Should YOU Care?
This is my personal love letter to the team that rejuvenated my love for basketball and what we can learn from the people’s champions, the 2024-2025 Indiana Pacers.
Photo Credits: I tried to cite every photographer, but ran into issues finding some names. I got most images from Getty Images and Imagn Images, all rights belong to original owners. Below, are some I was able to individually find:
Justin Ford
Nathaniel S. Butler
Kyle Terada
Ron Hoskins
Maddie Meyer
Dylan Buell
Kyle Ross
Alonzo Adams
Rich Pedroncelli
Gregory Shamus
Trevor Ruszkowski
Al Bello
Jason Miller
Jesse D. Garrabrant
Stacy Revere
David Liam Kyle
Alika Jenner
Frank Franklin II
Elsa
Newsday LLC
Sarah Stier
Rocky Widner
David Berding
Wendell Cruz
Joe Murphy
Zach Beeker
Jonathan Bachman
Julio Cortez
Matthew Stockman
Garrett Ellwood
Carmen Mandato
For the excerpts of Articles:
Nbadraft.net
Josue Pavon from Yahoo Clutchpoints
Geoff Magliocchetti, SI.com
Aaron Rose, SI.com
Mark Montieth, nba.com
Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976: This material is used for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
This video includes copyrighted material used under fair use guidelines for purposes such as commentary and critique.
No copyright infringement is intended. All rights to the content used belong to their respective owners.
#inspiration #nba #nbafinals #pacers #motivation #tyresehaliburton #indianapacers #okcthunder #thunderup #pacersnation #Knicks #bingbong #bucks #cavsnation #cavs #basketball #ballislife #basketballanalysis
The NBA Finals have officially concluded and while this year’s Indiana Pacers may not be immortalized in NBA history, they will forever be immortalized in our hearts. They weren’t crowned as champions, but they ended up as something more, a symbol. To understand what I mean by this, let me take you on a journey through the incredible season of the 20242 Indiana Pacers. It’s fair to say that the 2025 Pacers were quite literally a team of misfits. Their leader, Tyrese Hallebertton, was once a top pick. After a promising start to his career in Sacramento, he was traded unceremoniously in one of the most shocking trades of the late 2010s. Then we get to the finals hero, my favorite player, TJ McConnell. How many people know this, but TJ McConnell throughout his career was called a water boy, a remark on how unremarkable he was to many people. It’s safe to say TJ McConnell was consistently doubted throughout his career. Another player worth talking about is Pascal Seakum. Seiakum won a championship with Toronto, but they just weren’t ready to give him the money he so rightly deserved. Then we get to Andrew Nehart, who is one of the most exciting young players on the roster. However, even he was doubted before even being drafted. He fell to the second round because of quote unremarkable stats. And then there’s Aaron Nesmith, a phenomenal defender who once played for the Boston Celtics, but was traded as part of a larger deal. And finally, there’s Obie Toppen. Once a Knicks fan favorite, he has been consistently touted as one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. Unfairly, I might add, this was indeed a team that was forgotten by the NBA world, and many people were quick to write them off despite an impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Going into the season, this was a team that no one outside of Indiana thought was even close to being a contender. Perhaps this is why this team was so compelling. It was an everyman’s team. We have all at some point or another in our lives felt like many of these players. At some point or another, all of us have felt rejected by our peers, our society, or felt like we weren’t given the opportunity to thrive. Whether this is at work, at school, or even in relationships, we all have faced people underestimating our skills and our talents. So, it was pretty easy to root for this bunch. But unfortunately, they started the season off really slow with a mediocre 16 and 17 record. They were barely a playoff team. Then something shifted. A shift which radiated throughout the rest of their season. The Pacers returned to an identity they had forged in earlier seasons, an identity rooted in ball movement. They relied on each other with a team ccentric style returning and this paid off as they ended the season on a 31 to4 run and willed their way to a fourth seed on the backs of an impressive 8-game winning streak to end the season. However, before the Pacers got a chance to show their medal on the basketball court, the infamous player poll was released. In this poll, the team’s captain, Tyresese Hallebertton, was deemed as most overrated by his peers, and this storyline made the headlines as their late season heroics and postseason comeback seemed like a fluke to most. Once again, everyone refused to give the Pacers their flowers. It quite literally seemed like the basketball gods themselves were hellbent on ending the Indiana season before it could even start. So now we get to the first round. Most people had the Bucks, the Pacers first round matchup, winning despite an untimely injury to their second star in Damen Lert. This was mostly because of Giannis Antakmpo, one of the greatest players of the modern age. This was understandable as Giannis had just 6 years prior completed one of the most dominant finals runs in recent history. However, the Pacers actually surprised everyone by going up 3-1, systematically dismantling the Bucks and their over reliance on one player in Giannis. However, that same overreiance would help them in game five as the Bucks went up six points with 40 seconds remaining. This would mean, according to ESPN, that they had a 99.3% chance to win this game and send the Pacers back home to fight another day. And any other team would have accepted that, but not the Pacers. The Pacers fought all the way back from this impossible deficit. And this game winner right here sealed the Bucks fate. And who other than Tyrese Howard overrate that. After this, the critics lost steam and the Greek freak was headed to Cancun. Little did any of us know that this would be the start of a truly inspiring and magical playoff run. Despite the epic victory against the Bucks, the people’s team faced a seemingly gargantuan task. They were up against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team with the best record in the NBA and perhaps the greatest inseason resurgence we may have ever seen. The Cavs were one of those teams that played a complete brand of basketball and at times looked utterly unstoppable. This was a squad led by the explosive Donovan Mitchell, a defensive player of the year in Evan Mobley, and an extremely smart guard in Darius Garland. All backed by an immense depth and a bench unrivaled. On paper, the Cavs had the makings of a modern NBA champion. This team had it all. They had a dynamic superstar in Donovan Mitchell, a absolute powerhouse defensively in Evan Mobley and an offensive maestro in Darius Garland. This was in many ways what many believe the Pacers lacked. You see, Tyrese Hallebertton was quote unquote overrated to most, stripping him of the coveted reputation as a star in the NBA. The Pacers had an excellent defender of their own in Miles Turner, but he had a few tumultuous seasons with the team in the years past. And while the bench remained a strong point, many doubted their ability to keep the Pacers afloat in close games where Tyrese had to get some rest. On top of all of this, the Cavs were led by the coach of the year, Kenny Atkinson, who clearly had something to prove after his brief stint as head coach in Brooklyn a few years ago. On the other hand, while Rick Carlau, the Pacers coach, was celebrated in his own right, he had been many years removed from his former glory. Indeed, understandably, the Cavs came in as heavy favorites, not only to beat the Pacers, but to win their first championship without LeBron James. However, the Pacers actually dominated game one, which unfortunately many people wrote off as a fluke. Going into game two, that argument got more credence as it looked like the Pacers were about to choke and lose the 10 lead. The Pacers were losing by seven with only 57 seconds remaining. Only a 4.1% chance to win. However, the everyman from Indiana never gave up. They fought, they clawed, they went on to defy the NBA narrative again, a narrative that seemed like destiny the past few years. And who other than the most overrated player on the floor, Tyresese Hallebertton, brought them back. Hallebertton looked truly unstoppable. And in fact, he’s the one who single-handedly led the offense to this amazing comeback. In addition, he was also responsible for this amazing game winner. Tyrese Hallebertton trying to take Cleveland’s heart and it is over. The Indiana Pacers in a game two stunner. Pacers went on to soundly upset the Cavs and Tyresese Hallebertton totally silenced the critics by this point. So now the Pacers were back at what many people thought was their ceiling, the Eastern Conference Finals. They faced, in many ways a mirror to their own journey. They faced the New York Knicks, who were an underdog team in their own right, dethroning the reigning champion Celtics. Unsurprisingly, the Pacers were doubted again. This was a Knicks team led by Carl Anthony Towns, one of the most unique bigs we have ever seen in the game, and the heroic Jaylen Brunson, whose feats in the postseason were only rivaled by none other than Tyrese Hallebertton. However, game one made me a believer in the Indiana Pacers. You see, they came into the game struggling. The Knicks were on fire. It was the Pacers, not the Knicks, who looked inexperienced up until this point. With three minutes remaining, the Pacers saw themselves in a daunting 14point hole. It looked like the start of what many thought was the end for the Pacers. They only had a 03% chance to win this game. They had done the impossible before, but this this might be too much. And if you thought that, you obviously weren’t paying attention. They say basketball is a game of wills. And the Pacers have one of the greatest wills we have ever seen. I mean, just look at this shot. [Music] That shot was ultimately ruled as a two, but this was the start of a dominant overtime by Indiana. I mean, they just completely stomped the Knicks. The Knicks played well, but Indiana had all the momentum. And this momentum went on to the rest of the series as they beat the Knicks and made it to one of their first finals appearances in over 20 years. That’s almost a fourth of a century. Oh, and special shout out to Obi-Wan who got a little bit of revenge against the team that let him go. I mean, just to conceptualize this, NBA teams down 14 plus in the final 250 of regulation in the playoffs had lost 100% of the games until now. So, there we have it. The Pacers were heading to the finals off the backs of one of the greatest clutch performances from the most overrated player in the league. However, any joy they had was soon overshadowed as upcoming they faced the greatest threat the NBA may have ever seen. The Pacers now faced the absolute juggernaut of a team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. To say this Thunder team was a favorite in the series would quite simply be selling them short. This was the best team in basketball and terrifyingly they were just getting started in their reign of terror on the NBA. They had everything the Cavs had to offer. a perfect championship DNA, the dominant player in the MVP Shay Yugus Alexander that the Bucks had and the absolute grit and toughness that the Knicks displayed. The Thunder were officially here and it was high time people started to take notice. Up to this point, the Thunder had humbled the boisterous Memphis Grizzlies, dethroned the Royal Denver Nuggets and absolutely quieted one of the most exciting teams in basketball in the Minnesota Timberwolves. She Gilgus Alexander in particular was on a truly special finals run rivaling that of MJ and Larry Bert. So that just tells you how amazing his season has been. On top of that, like I mentioned, the best defense in the NBA, a phenomenal bench, and one of the premier shot blockers in the league. Not to mention the plethora of other talent they had like Jaylen Williams. I mean, Sheay is dangerous enough. I mean, look at this. But then you add Jaylen Williams into the mix. On any other team, Jaylen Williams would be the unquestioned star. And, you know, pair that with Shay and you have pretty much an unstoppable team. And with two minutes left in game one of the NBA finals, it was the result everybody kind of expected. The Pacers looked overwhelmed by this defense. But then lightning struck in Oklahoma and this time it wasn’t the Thunder. Like they had all season, the Pacers returned from certain death and off the backs of a gamewinner from Tyrese Hallebert. Again, the Pacers won game one and shocked the NBA world. Despite losing by nine and only having a 3.6% chance to win game one, the Pacers carried this momentum and tied the series 2-2 going forward. Make no mistake, this was a grueling dog fight on both sides. However, in game five, Jaylen Williams is the one who took home the cake with a 40point masterclass against the Pacers. The Pacers found themselves in the infamous 3-2 hole, a deficit known to end seasons, especially in the NBA Finals. For context, only 15% of the teams down 3-2 even go on to play game seven. And to make matters worse, their star, their captain, Tyrese Hallebertton, was injured. Tyrese had suffered a calf injury, which is not only painful, but extremely dangerous. Just a few years prior, a haunting precedence was set for this kind of injury by Kevin Durant in the finals, who ironically had a calf injury that spiraled into an Achilles one. Nevertheless, just as they had all season, Tyrese and his Pacers limped out with courage and faced their demise with absolute determination. Pacers absolutely dominated game six, playing with a fire and a commitment to their ideals of playing as a team. They looked amazing. And just like that, they had forced a game seven, the best two words in all of sports. Game seven started off amazing. Tyrese was on fire. The Pacers were clicking on all cylinders and they looked really, really good. But then disaster struck again. Tyrese had succumbed to his injury. As he lay there, it was clear from his expression not only the physical pain of his injury, but the emotional pain of not being able to compete in the biggest day of his life. Seeing their fearless leader laying on the floor absolutely dowsted in despair, the Pacers rallied around him, embodying teamwork. They helped him off the floor. And this team decided that they would win this game in honor of their fallen captain. These were more than just noble words as the Pacers actually led the game at halftime by one point and really looked like they had solved the Thunder defense that haunted so many before them. However, this clarity would be sadly short-lived as the Thunder dominated in quarter number three, particularly Jaylen Williams again. The lead swelled to 20. However, even with their backs against the wall, this Pacers team fought. Fighting extremely hard, they narrowed the lead down to only 10. But ultimately, it proved to be too little, too late, and the Thunder were now NBA champ. This is the crulest ending to one of the sweetest Cinderella runs in all of sport. The final buzzer was absolutely deafening. The Pacers left the court with dignity and fell apart in their locker room. They cried. They fell into each other’s arms. And to no one’s surprise, their fearless leader was out there congratulating them. Tyrese Hallebertton was extremely proud of his team that night. And despite the pain, he hobbled out to congratulate each and every one of them. So now we get to the why. Why am I telling you this? Why do the Pacers matter if they lost? You see, for me, I wanted to make this video because this Pacers team gave me hope. Every time helplessness took a hold of my viewership, they fought back and they gave me hope. They defied every odd and gave me a feeling I had been lacking in the past few years of watching basketball. A feeling of absolute wonder. They quite simply made my love for the game a whole lot deeper. This is because they reminded me why I love the sport of basketball. A sport that involves five individuals putting their differences aside, working together on a pristine hardwood floor and attempting to do the impossible and defy destiny. However, the Indiana Pacers impact is actually much deeper than that. They are the people’s champion. We often say in basketball there are no moral victories. But today I encourage you to forget that. You see right now the world needs to see an underdog win. This is because currently humanity is the biggest underdog. As of today we face many seemingly insurmountable threats to our lives and livelihood. Take any of our existential problems, from the greatest climate catastrophe in our history to the constant global tensions that keep us on the tight rope of a war that might end everything we know and love. It often feels like the worst of us ins snares us far more than the best of us. As if our worst impulses are destined to be our masters. However, this is exactly why the pacers matter. Even though they lost, they represent us and our ability to do better. They serve as a quite beautiful parallel to us, humanity. They are the people’s champion. We all come from situations where we’ve been doubted, looked down upon. And yet, look at us. Still fighting, still getting out of bed every day. As humans, we face probably the biggest task we have ever faced. The task of our moral and physical survival. Not entirely unlike a certain team from Indiana. Like the Indiana Pacers, we often face tasks that seem insurmountable. Yet, we go on to face the day anyway. My point here is that even though things may seem hopeless in the world, and although now more than ever, the end of everything we know seems inevitable at times, whether from a climate we’ve neglected or hatred, global or local, completely suffocating us. We must not give up. You see, even when the Pacers were down against impossible odds, they never compromised their belief in each other, their unique style of play, and their belief in themselves as individuals. This is a message I believe humanity needs to hear, and something we can learn from this amazing basketball team. The Pacers serve as a sombering reminder that we may lose. Maybe humanity will end. Maybe our destiny as humans is to lose. But that doesn’t mean we stop fighting. The Indiana Pacers constant fight against the odds should inspire our own. Time and time again, this team defied the odds and inspired even the basketball gods who conspired against them. Like the Pacers, we can together weather the storm and face the rain with a defiant smile. For if we are destined to have our precious flame of life snuffed out, we must face it with dignity and courage, never forsaking the love we have for each other, the compassion we gained from our pain, and the will to overcome the odds. Be on an existential level. Whatever you’re going through right now, however down you feel, be inspired by the 2025 Indiana Pacers. Because whether your crush rejected you, whether your job denies you the opportunity you so clearly deserve, or school itself seems hellbent on constantly reminding you of your inadequacies, you can overcome. Remember that even when people cast you aside like they did to Aaron Nesmith and Obie Toppin, even when people doubt your work like they did to TJ McConnell, even when you face a loss that seems insurmountable like the Pacers lost Tyrese Howard, I’m here to tell you that you can be like the Indiana Pacers. You see, these pacers matter not because they won the championship, but because they remind us that life’s greatest glory is in the simple act of trying. For it is not the win against the struggle, but the fact that we tried that is life’s true triumph. So, never give up, always keep hope, and keep trying like everyone’s champion, the 2025 Indiana Pacers. [Music]
