The Indiana Pacers are already the best story of the 2025 NBA playoffs, and yet they're not quite done yet writing the ending to what has been a Cinderella-esque run already. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Pacers once again showed that they're the kings of the clutch, as they pulled away from the Oklahoma City Thunder late in the game to record a 116-107 victory to go up 2-1 in the series.

There might not be a more unflappable team in the history of the NBA than the 2025 Pacers; faced with plenty of adversity, they manage to remain composed, dealing with what lies ahead with an even-keeled demeanor. Their belief in themselves fuels them to punch above their weight class, and as a result, they completed a rare Finals feat.

As pointed out by NBA statistician Keerthika Uthayakumar, the Pacers became just the third fourth-seeded team in NBA history to win Game 3 and take a 2-1 series lead since the 1995 Houston Rockets did. As one would recall, that Rockets squad ended up winning it all despite being a six-seed, still setting the record for being the lowest-seeded team to win a championship.

The first team to ever accomplish this feat was the 1978 Seattle SuperSonics, although they ended up losing the series against the Washington Bullets. This is a piece of history that the 2025 Pacers will be looking to not repeat.

Nonetheless, this is not new territory for the Pacers. They ended up leading 2-1 after the previous three rounds, and two of those series came against teams they had home-court disadvantage against. The Thunder may be a different animal, but they have experience taking care of a lead in a series. And considering how it seems as though they have destiny on their side, this Pacers team definitely has it in them to finish the job.

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Pacers look to write a happy ending to their underdog story

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Not every Cinderella story has a happy ending. Just ask the 2023 Miami Heat, a team that lost in five games in the NBA Finals after making it all the way there as an eight-seed.

The Pacers, however, have regained control of the 2025 NBA Finals, and they managed to win in Game 3 even though they lost the three-point and free-throw battle. This shows that Indiana has it in them to win it all, and they only need to win two more games, starting on Friday night, when the series resumes for Game 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.