The Indiana Pacers trail the Oklahoma City Thunder 3-2 heading into Game 6 of the NBA Finals. With Tyrese Haliburton's status in question for Game 6 due to an injury, OKC is in the driver's seat for a series win. Stephen A. Smith is confident in the Pacers' future regardless of the outcome of the 2025 NBA Finals, however.

“My biggest takeaway is going to be that the Pacers are not going away,” Smith said on ESPN First Take when asked what his biggest takeaway would be if the Pacers lose Game 6. “This is not a team that you can look at and (say) ‘this year is a fluke' and ‘there's no way on earth they will be back in this picture.' (Pascal) Siakam is not going to fade. (Andrew) Nembhard and (Aaron) Nesmith, they're not scrubs who can't play… (Bennedict) Mathurin, I believe in this kid and I believe his promise is there and he will only elevate. Rick Carlisle is too exceptional of a coach to not be in the picture making noise in some capacity.

“The Indiana fanbase clearly is one of the best in America. There is no denying this. And I think that when you couple that with so many question marks that exist within the Eastern Conference… There's so many questions that exist within the Eastern Conference that the Indiana Pacers actually appear to be a very steady franchise on the come up even though they're in the Finals.”

The Thunder feature a talented team without question. Oklahoma City has a terrific opportunity to clinch a championship on Thursday night. With that being said, Smith believes the Pacers' future remains bright.

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As for the short-term outlook, Smith thinks Indiana will force a Game 7.

“Even though we might look at OKC and say, ‘they're better,' Indiana is not a joke… If they were to lose tonight, and I don't believe they will, I think they're going to force a Game 7, but if they were to lose tonight, I don't think there's anything to hang their heads about… So I think that Indiana has put us on notice that when it comes to the game of basketball you going to have to deal with these brothers in the future. They're not just going to go away,” Smith added.

It remains to be seen if the Pacers can establish themselves as a true contender for years to come. With Tyrese Haliburton leading the way, though, Indiana will be a team to closely monitor moving forward.

Game 6 is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST on Thursday night in Indiana.