2025 NBA Finals: Pacers Bury Unwanted Emotion, Force Game 7 Vs Thunder

Forbes

4 hours ago

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) drives as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace ... More defends during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS — Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals was just 50 minutes away, and Indiana Pacers forward James Johnson needed a hand fulfilling one of his unofficial team duties. A key veteran voice for the blue and gold, Johnson was searching for a way to motivate his group ahead of a game in which they were fighting off elimination. Down 3-2 in the series, he wanted to write a quote on the locker room whiteboard. Something powerful and inspiring. But there was one problem. Johnson's handwriting isn't great.
'Who's a good writer?' Johnson called out.
Bennedict Mathurin, celebrating his 23rd birthday, stepped up. Mathurin, competitive as ever, wants to be the best at everything, even penmanship. He grabbed a red marker. Johnson recited the quote, an old Muhammad Ali line about rising after a fall, word by word. Mathurin carefully scribbled it out, and the two worked together to get the spacing just right. 45 minutes before tipoff, they were done. Every player who walked through the locker room — all of them required to at least once — would see Mathurin's handiwork and Johnson's message.
The Pacers were going to need to heed the words printed in ink. They were down in the Finals and facing elimination for the first time of the postseason. A win was required, and they needed to recover after consecutive losses. Their opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, won 68 games this season. Individual brilliance — while helpful, as Mathurin proved in Game 3 — is not enough to beat them. It takes a total team effort and sustained resilience. Johnson wanted to remind everyone of that before the pivotal battle.
It was a new situation for the Pacers, who have largely cruised through in this postseason until this series. Now, they were navigating new emotions as they faced a series defeat on the biggest stage the NBA provides. Nerves, pressure, and urgency all appeared. Getting their mentality right was critical, and that's part of Johnson's role. Wing Aaron Nesmith, who has played in an NBA Finals before, was asked later Thursday night which of his teammates helped steady the locker room.
'[Johnson] is always good about it,' Nemith began before talking about veteran forward Pascal Siakam. Nesmith feels as if it's important to be even-keeled in a one-game setting, and experienced teammates help everyone else stay grounded.
So a small moment — one player who wanted a motivational quote on the whiteboard, another one eager to write it — became something bigger. It helped stabilize the locker room. And that quiet clarity carried over to the court, where the Pacers delivered one of their strongest performances of the season, hammering the Thunder and giving Gainbridge Fieldhouse one last moment to celebrate this season.
What did James Johnson's message mean for the Pacers in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals?
The Ali quote Johnson chose about getting up after being knocked down felt prophetic almost immediately. Indiana lost Game 5, and OKC took a 10-2 lead within the first four minutes of action in Game 6. The Pacers were reeling and watching their chance at a title slip away. They took a timeout and needed to rise once again.
Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrates with forward James Johnson (16) during the second ... More half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The next 40 minutes of play were all about the Pacers getting up after being knocked down. That eight-point deficit was erased in 45 seconds. Indiana led barely two minutes after talking things over, and their edge grew as high as nine in the first quarter. They started off slow after two straight defeats and were pinned to the mat, but they battled back again.
It was the response Johnson envisioned. But the Thunder pushed again in the second quarter, trimming the lead to one with 9:29 left. Rick Carlisle, the Pacers veteran head coach who has guided his team with sage adjustments throughout this postseason run, stopped the game to talk things over. That changed everything. Indiana erupted, going on a 32-11 run. Their lead was 22 at halftime, and the Indy crowd was electric.
So were the Pacers, who rolled through the third quarter and carried a 30-point cushion into the fourth. That was enough to coast the rest of the way and take Game 6 108-91. The blue and gold responded, again. The message to rise had been received. Now the series is tied 3-3, heading to a winner-take-all Game 7.
'We continue to be us no matter what,' Siakam said postgame. 'I think that's what makes us who we are.'
The Pacers, at every turn, are prepared to fight back. When they're down in a series, or down in a game, they've proven that they can even things up. Some of that comes from talent. Other parts of it come from leadership.
The day before Game 6, Pacers center Myles Turner was asked about inspiration, and specifically if Carlisle had applied any motivational tactics to boost the team mentally. The answer was yes, but Turner didn't think his coach should have to. In his eyes, the team's overall pride should be enough of a motivating factor.
After Game 6, Turner sat at his locker composed. He was stoic yet in a good mood, listening to Seal's 'Kiss From a Rose'. He recalled a similar moment from last season when the Pacers were down 3-2 against the New York Knicks in the second round. They won that series in seven games.
Repeating that success is their hope, and Johnson did everything in his power to make it happen. And in a fitting twist, the veteran forward that played just 37 total minutes during the regular season checked into Game 6 with 3:04 remaining. He was getting NBA Finals court time on the same night that his off-court value was so deeply felt.
During Johnson's three years with the Pacers, he's become a crowd favorite as Indiana fans learn more about his true value to the franchise. As he entered the game, Gainbridge Fieldhouse roared with excitement. When he was ejected with 57 seconds left for slapping Dillon Jones, those roars returned.
Fans were cheering for him the same way he cheered on his teammates with motivational quotes before the game. They were rooting for a leader that made sure any unwanted emotions were gone. Johnson's teammates heard the message, and they all earned another chance to play in the 2025 NBA Finals. It's a Game 7 on Sunday for the championship, and the Pacers don't have the opportunity without its veterans.