NBA fans fired up as Tyrese Haliburton overcomes calf injury to force Game 7 in Finals after 3,288 days: "Best two words in sports" 

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers kept their championship hopes alive after they forced a Game 7 in the NBA Finals with a dominant 108-91 home victory over the OKC Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday. NBA fans got all excited about it, sharing their thoughts online.

Haliburton bucked a calf injury to inspire the Pacers to an impressive victory in front of the home fans to force a deciding Game 7. It will mark the first time that the Finals will go the full route of seven games in nine years, or 3,288 days. The last time it happened was in 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Golden State Warriors for their first-ever NBA title.

Fans welcomed the Thunder-Pacers Finals series going to a do-or-die Game 7, writing their opinions on X/Twitter:

"Best two words in sports," a fan celebrated.

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"Must see TV," one fan pointed out. "FINALS GAME 7 IS FINALLY BACK," another fan said. "Epic Finals!" one fan commented. "Game is about to be nuts," another fan said. "Figured we’d get 7 games here! Niiiiiice!!!!" one fan wrote. "Best finals since 2021 argue with a wall," a fan added.

Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals will take place on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Both the Thunder and Pacers are gunning for their first-ever NBA title.

Tyrese Haliburton says he wanted to play in Game 6 and help the Pacers

Entering Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, Tyrese Haliburton's availability was left up in the air as he dealt with a calf strain he sustained in the previous game. He, however, said he had every intention to play as long as he was well-guided on it.

He spoke about it to reporters on Wednesday:

“I think I have to be as smart as I want to be. Have to understand the risks, ask the right questions. I’m a competitor. I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play. That’s just what it is.”

Haliburton added:

“I have a lot of trust in our medical staff. I have a lot of trust in our organization to make the right decision. I think there’s been many situations through the course of my career where they’ve trusted me on my body. … I want to be out there. That’s the plan.”

While there were concerns about how his injured calf would hold, Tyrese Haliburton did play in Game 6 and put out inspired ball. He finished with 14 points, going 3-for-7 from 3-point territory, to go along with five assists and two steals in 23 minutes in their dominant 108-91 victory.

Obi Toppin led the way for the Pacers with 20 points while Andrew Nembhard added 17. Pascal Siakam, meanwhile, had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds.

For the OKC Thunder, league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander top-scored with 21 points.

Edited by Veer Badani