INDIANAPOLIS – In a sea of Indiana Pacers players, staffers, executives, luminaries, and family members, Tyrese Haliburton raised the Bob Cousy Trophy high on Saturday night. He and the Pacers had just topped the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, meaning the Pacers will be playing in the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

Celebrations had been going on for exactly 30 minutes when Myles Turner, the Pacers starting center for the last 10 years, exited the floor. Moments earlier, he was hugging his dad. Now, he was high-fiving fans and friends on his way back to the locker room.

“Four more, baby! Four more,” he exclaimed. That’s the number of wins that his team needs to win their first title in NBA history. They’ll play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, a series that starts later this week.

The rivaling emotions the Pacers were facing in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night showed what makes their current playoff run possible. They were in the moment, celebrating a major accomplishment in front of Indiana fans, but had their eyes on a bigger prize. That’s what has fueled their run to this point – a long-standing belief built up over years of hard work.

“This group has been special and pulled off some special things,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. 15 minutes earlier, he was hyping up the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd by reciting an old adage about the importance of basketball in the state of Indiana. But Carlisle, who is about to participate in his sixth NBA Finals as a coach or player, knows that there is more to come. “This is no time to be popping champagne,” he said.