OKLAHOMA CITY – With a booming voice and leadership that late Indiana Pacers star Mel Daniels would be proud of, Pacers center Myles Turner yelled several times to teammates as they walked to the visiting locker room defeated on Monday night.
“It’s a series, brother. It’s a series,” Turner belted.
Turner and his Pacers lost 120-109 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven championship series and are one win from their first NBA title since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Meanwhile, the Pacers will be in a must-win situation with hopes to keep the series alive during Game 6 back home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday night.
Making matters more challenging for the Pacers, star guard Tyrese Haliburton went without a made field goal in Game 5 while playing with injuries to his right leg. With their season on the brink at home, Turner expects Haliburton and his Pacers to be ready for Game 6.
“The fact is that we have another opportunity,” Turner said. “That’s it. It’s not over. We’re going back to one of the best playoff environments in the league. That’s why I was yelling out loud to my teammates walking in front of me.
“I said that because your emotions are very fresh after a game. It’s very easy for younger players to put their heads down and be dejected. But somebody has to speak and I was just getting that message going.”
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The Pacers drafted Turner with the 11th pick in the 2015 NBA draft from the University of Texas. The 6-foot-11, 250-pounder is the longest-tenured Pacer, having played 642 regular-season games over 10 NBA seasons to rank sixth all-time in franchise history. With the Pacers the only franchise he’s known, Turner is aware that this Pacers team is the closest it has been to winning an NBA title.
The Pacers won American Basketball Association titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 before joining the NBA in 1976. The only other Pacers team to play in the NBA Finals was in 2000 as they claimed one win in their series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Haliburton mentioned before the start of these NBA Finals that the Pacers, who have been in existence since 1967, have had generations of fans for nearly 60 years.
“Their parents were passionate about the team, and their parents before that were passionate about the team,” Haliburton said on NBA Finals Media Day on June 4. “That’s a different type of home-court advantage or different type of fan than like a bigger city, if that makes sense. That’s why I enjoy being a part of it, why I want to be a part of it for the rest of my career. I really enjoy being a Pacer.”
It’s because of that history that playing for the Pacers in the NBA Finals brings a different kind of pressure to the state of Indiana’s only NBA franchise. Haliburton told Andscape that the Pacers had no stress after a stunning Game 1 win as they were playing with “house money.” But now two wins away from winning an NBA title, Pacers fans can see the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy dangling like a carrot above them for the first time.
The X-factor for the Pacers is Haliburton, who missed all six of his field-goal attempts in Game 5 and wasn’t playing with his usual level of aggression. Haliburton said he expects to play in Game 6. Turner also expects Haliburton to be ready as well.
“It’s the Finals,” Haliburton said. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete, help my teammates any way I can. I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play.”
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While it seems long ago, the Pacers had a 2-1 series lead in these Finals, bringing the franchise the closest it’s ever been to an NBA title. But the Thunder, the NBA’s top team from start to finish, have responded with a vengeance, winning two straight games to put them a win from raising their first championship banner. The last time the Thunder lost two consecutive games was to the Houston Rockets on April 4 and the Los Angeles Lakers on April 6.
Turner still expects his Pacers to respond and force a Game 7. Ten years into the NBA and playing in his first Finals, Turner was also sentimental about his first opportunity to make the championship series. He thought about his longevity, making the elusive 10-year club, the trade rumors he endured and the “blood, sweat and tears” he has expended since coming to Indianapolis.
“Our fans have been anticipating this for such a long time,” Turner, 29, said. “They’ve been antsy. The biggest thing is to show up for Game 6. They’ll be behind us and be as loud as they were here [in Oklahoma City]. For someone in my position, you never know when you can get this opportunity again. This is the youngest, healthiest and most spry I will ever be.
“For me, I just got to give it all that I’ve got. Back against the wall. Empty the tank.”
Regardless of what happens, it will be the last game of this NBA season in Indianapolis. Could it be Turner’s last game in Indianapolis as well?
Turner will be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming summer. Indiana has not paid a luxury tax penalty since 2006 and would have to do so to re-sign their starting center. But ESPN has previously reported that Indiana would delve into the tax to sign Turner. The Pacers will be $20 million below the tax entering the offseason. Since Turner signed his current contract extension in January of 2023, he is not allowed to extend this pact prior to June 30, but negotiations can begin after the Finals.
With a fight to extend the Finals in mind, however, Turner said he is more worried about the series than his inevitable paycheck. He knows there is no guarantee he will be in this Finals position again.
“That’s the best time of the year, bro,” Turner said. “You’re going back to Gainbridge with your back against the wall. It’s the type of stuff you dream about as a kid. So, I think I’m motivated. That’s the best way to describe it. …
“I feel the anticipation. Everybody wants it so bad. More than anything, as much time that my life has put into this city, I want it just as bad.”
