Ignore the Poison Noise: Haliburton

He tells the Pacers to expect 'ugly bloodbath' in Finals Game 7, where home teams are 15-4

- 

Oklahoma City - Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton says the Pacers must keep their focus firmly on the Oklahoma City Thunder and block out the "poison" of narratives popping up around Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which will take place on June 22.

The Pacers pushed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder to a winner-take-all title showdown with a stunning blowout victory on June 19 - Haliburton inspiring his teammates with a 14-point performance two days after he limped through Game 5 with a right-calf strain.

Now the Pacers have a chance to claim the first NBA championship for a franchise that won three American Basketball Association titles before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

"The narratives are going to be almost poison," Haliburton said.

"To talk about what this would mean to our city and our organization and legacy talk, and how we played so well and now the pressure is on (the Thunder)... there's going to be narratives that we can't really pay attention to.