A Ring for Hali?
This is brewing as the biggest upset since the 2004 Pistons…
The NBA Finals are not known for many big upsets, even with many decades of history, but the Indiana Pacers are two wins away from giving us the biggest—and doing it in 4K for all to see.
Game 3 was a classic with neither team leading by more than 9 points, and the Pacers flat out won it without any devil magic comeback. Instead, they got a whopping 49 points from the bench and took OKC’s top-ranked defense to task in a 116-107 win, the first Finals game held in Indiana since 2000.
From one Pacer to another 💙
Reggie Miller and Tyrese Haliburton after the Pacers’ Game 3 win 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5bzj0CHmNG
— ESPN (@espn) June 12, 2025
This is brewing as the biggest upset since the 2004 Pistons were up 2-1 on the favored Shaq-Kobe Lakers before winning that series in Game 5. But even that season, the Pistons only had two fewer wins than the Lakers in the regular season, and they ranked higher statistically as a team.
The Thunder are a 68-win juggernaut who made NBA news with the single-season record for margin of victory. Yet here they are down 2-1 to a team playing with the utmost confidence.
Tyrese Haliburton: Fashion Critic
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was mic’d up for the game and trolled his father’s fashion choice for Game 3. “You’re out of pocket for them jeans,” Haliburton teased his pops before dropping 22 points and 11 assists in a far more aggressive game from him.
“You’re outta pocket for them jeans”
Tyrese Haliburton to his dad 😭pic.twitter.com/kuYGrlTXBT
— Underdog (@Underdog) June 12, 2025
Hali hugged Reggie Miller after the game, and Miller’s son wore an incredible “Choke” shirt.
Too cute! Reggie Miller’s daughter wearing her Dad’s jersey and his son is wearing the choke shirt https://t.co/33cDL3wb7Y pic.twitter.com/pHI3cGHjhv
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 12, 2025
T.J. McConnell vs. Alex Caruso
While Bennedict Mathurin’s stats were the story with 27 bench points for Indiana, another big part was T.J. McConnell getting the best of Alex Caruso, who outscored every Pacer in the Thunder’s Game 2 win.
Fans have been joking all series about these two matching up given their similarities as unheralded bench guys who give full effort every night. And yes, because they both would turn bright red if left in the sun too long and check off every box for scrappy, fundamentally sound, lunch-pail guys.
tj mcconnell vs. alex caruso pic.twitter.com/0VPTrpASwu
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) June 12, 2025
TJ McConnell and Alex Caruso going toe to toe for title of Scrappiest Undrafted White Guy. this is a major motion picture
— Ross Pins (@chisportsross) June 12, 2025
TJ McConnell full court pressing Caruso pic.twitter.com/7hhvCVdfeo
— Charlie Warren (@cwarren_10) June 6, 2025
But Game 3 was all McConnell (+12), who had 10 points, 5 assists, and 5 big steals, including one where he stole Caruso’s inbounds pass in the fourth quarter.
Esse turnover do Caruso é inaceitável
Tá malucopic.twitter.com/J8a6M31ErE
— Celtics Placar #6 (@CelticsPlacar) June 12, 2025
Caruso was a game-worst minus-15 in 32 minutes. Meanwhile, McConnell’s dad, a famed high school basketball coach, was loving it in the crowd.
T.J. McConnell’s dad is loving it. 🙌
(via @ESPNNBA)
pic.twitter.com/pT6TyaWzdN https://t.co/1DrtAB687m
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 12, 2025
McConnell’s sister Megan is a WNBA player with the Phoenix Mercury, so dad did very well in coaching his kids.
What to Expect in Game 4?
This series has already produced one memorable comeback, one lopsided victory, and one of the best NBA games you’ll see in this round last night. What’s next for Game 4 on Friday? Hopefully anything but a Game 2 repeat as OKC haven’t lost consecutive games all postseason. However, they’re also 0-8 against the spread in road games this postseason.
If the NBA rumors are still saying the ratings are down after Game 3, then I don’t know what to tell people. You have a chance to see an all-time upset of a 68-win team, so you should be watching. Game 3 even avoided the digital Larry O’Brien trophies.
The ESPN executive who picked Bob Myers, Perk and Stephen A Smith as the countdown crew for the NBA finals should be in prison for life
— Subscribe to the You Know Ball Patreon (@TrillBroDude) June 11, 2025
People still hate the halftime show with Stephen A. Smith, but hopefully the TNT crew can fix that next year.
