Magic Johnson Brings Back NBA Playoffs Claim After Pacers’ Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Pacers have been the little engine that could throughout this year’s NBA playoffs. They finished a modest fourth place in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but over the last several weeks, they have turned into a growing nightmare.
They upset the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had won 64 games, in the second round of the playoffs, and they then brushed past the New York Knicks, who had just knocked off the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Coming into the NBA Finals against the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana wasn’t given much of a chance. But the legendary Magic Johnson warned that the Thunder “should be worried” about Indiana in a post on X on Wednesday.
Sure enough, the team erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and took Game 1 of the championship series on a game-winning jumper by Tyrese Haliburton. Johnson took to X afterward to remind everyone of the Pacers’ prowess on the road in the postseason this year.
“Remember what I said… the Pacers beat every team they’ve faced on the road during the Playoffs and they kept that streak going tonight against OKC!” Johnson wrote.
Remember what I said… the Pacers beat every team they’ve faced on the road during the Playoffs and they kept that streak going tonight against OKC! https://t.co/XXVozlNCVA
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 6, 2025
Game 1 of the finals continues a pattern of the Pacers coming from behind in the final minutes to steal a game on the road early in a series.
They came back after being down 119-112 with less than a minute left in Game 2 versus Cleveland to win on a 3-pointer by Haliburton just before time expired.
Then, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, they bounced back from a double-digit deficit with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter and forced overtime on a buzzer-beater by Haliburton that bounced high off the rim and went through the net. They then prevailed in overtime by three points.
Now, after Thursday’s shocking win over the Thunder, the Pacers winning their first NBA championship is a distinct possibility.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.