Latest / Bleacher Report / Tyrese Haliburton Talks Game 6 Win vs. Knicks to Go to the Finals _ 2025 NBA Playoffs

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Tyrese Haliburton Talks Game 6 Win vs. Knicks to Go to the Finals _ 2025 NBA Playoffs · Bleacher Report

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: All right, let's hear from Tyre's Haliburton now twenty one
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: points thirteen assists in game six. I could you kind
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: of take us through your emotions just as that final
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: buzzer sounds and the ceremony's about to start.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: It's a special feeling, special feeling, uh, to do with
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: this group. You know, we got to the same spot
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: last year, fell short, and man, we just worked our
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: tails off as.
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: A group to get back here. It's been a you.
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  Speaker 2: Know, a bumpy road with our start, and uh, man,
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  Speaker 2: it's really proudly resilience this group. We had so many
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: different guys, Chip, and we've been through so many things
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: this year and we just kept pushing and uh, like
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: I said, I'm just I'm just really proud of this group.
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  Speaker 3: I saw you and Pats Scal's long embrace down there.
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  Speaker 3: What was that like for you too? Yeah? It's special, man.
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  Speaker 2: Obviously when we brought him here, you know, we had
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: we visioned, we envisioned you know, doing something like this,
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  Speaker 2: doing something special, and uh, you know, it's just really
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  Speaker 2: special that he's been here. He's been like a big
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  Speaker 2: brother for me, somebody that I can really trust, somebody
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  Speaker 2: that I can really lean on to talk to and
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: just somebody can.
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  Speaker 3: Always keep me steady.
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  Speaker 2: And uh, you know, this is an exciting time, you know,
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  Speaker 2: but we we understand that there's a long road ahead,
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  Speaker 2: you know, a lot more work to do.
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  Speaker 3: But yeah, it's really special, you know, to do this.
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  Speaker 2: And we just talked about, man, it's what we what
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: we got together to do, you know, to do something special,
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  Speaker 2: and we're part of it right now. We're doing something special.
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  Speaker 2: And like I said, we got four more to go.
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  Speaker 4: So when you were traded here, Kevin Pritcheck came up
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  Speaker 4: for your first game and said, this is like us
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  Speaker 4: landing our Andrew luck Er, our paid Manning. To have
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  Speaker 4: this team now in the NBA finals. What does it
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  Speaker 4: mean to go from that to this?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it means a lot. It means a lot.
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  Speaker 2: You know, this is a franchise. I took a chance
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  Speaker 2: on me. Saw something that other people than seeing me.
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  Speaker 2: You know, sometimes I think they saw more of me
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  Speaker 2: than I saw myself, you know. And you know, Coach Carlisle,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: the whole staff, you know, kp, Chad, all those guys
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  Speaker 2: just stay on me all the time, you know, to
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: keep getting better, to keep improving, you know, keep pushing
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  Speaker 2: and man, I wouldn't be able to tell those guys,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: so appreciate them taking a chance on me. I love
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: being a pacer, you know, it's a there's nothing like it.
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  Speaker 2: And this is a really really special feeling for me.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, I'll take the time to reflect on it,
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  Speaker 2: you know, later, because you know, still a lot more
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  Speaker 2: work to do.
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  Speaker 3: But you know, this is really exciting.
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  Speaker 2: Ty.
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  Speaker 1: I know you live in the moment and look ahead,
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  Speaker 1: but history is important too. And to do it almost
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  Speaker 1: twenty five years to the day than the last time,
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  Speaker 1: same team, Reggie Jalen in the building, on the home court,
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  Speaker 1: how much special, even more special, does that make it?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously, Reggie in the building. It is a really
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  Speaker 2: special thing. What happened twenty five years ago. I was
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: not even six months old, So you know, I think
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  Speaker 2: this is a really special time for organization, special time
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  Speaker 2: for our fans. You know, there's a lot of fans who,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: you know, I have never seen this success from this organization,
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  Speaker 2: you know, especially people around my age. You know, they
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: weren't alive for it. So you know, it's really special
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  Speaker 2: we're doing and we're just trying to keep making this
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  Speaker 2: a special place, a place where people want to, you know,
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  Speaker 2: come and people.
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  Speaker 3: Want to watch and want to be a part of.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, this is a really really special group
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  Speaker 2: and I'm really thankful that I'm doing it with these guys.
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  Speaker 2: I'm thankful that our front office believed in this group
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  Speaker 2: to keep us together, to not do a crazy roster turnover,
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  Speaker 2: to keep this group together, and you know, see something
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  Speaker 2: in ourselves that maybe quote unquote experts didn't see. So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: it's really special. But you know, we understand we got
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  Speaker 2: a long road ahead. But yeah, like I said, this
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  Speaker 2: is just a special feeling in the.
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  Speaker 4: Night's game, will be topping off the bench and I
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  Speaker 4: had three blocks, eighteen points. What do you think of
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: his play and how impactful were those big plays that
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  Speaker 4: he had?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah? Three blocks? Wow? Yeah, you're like me.
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  Speaker 2: We always messing with them because you know, he's got
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  Speaker 2: all that athleticism but just doesn't use it on the
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  Speaker 2: defensive end sometimes.
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  Speaker 3: But now we was big for us off the bench.
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  Speaker 2: You know, obviously this series playing against his team, that
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  Speaker 2: is probably a little bit more juice for him considering
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  Speaker 2: this is where you know he came from.
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  Speaker 3: But man, he was specially to Night.
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  Speaker 2: Just did all the little things that we need to do,
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  Speaker 2: made play after play, especially down the stretch, cut and rolling.
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  Speaker 3: You know, that's why we brought him here.
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  Speaker 2: So really special and we understand we preached depth or
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  Speaker 2: this whole year. You know, we keep talking about it,
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  Speaker 2: and it's not just something, not just a word we use,
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  Speaker 2: you know for fun. You know, this is uh, this
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  Speaker 2: is our identity and this is who we are. And
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  Speaker 2: so we thought we did a great job of utilizing that.
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  Speaker 2: We had many different people step up sought. Jars Walker
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  Speaker 2: was amazing, you know, the guy like that who you
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  Speaker 2: know it was minutes have come here and there in
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  Speaker 2: this year. He hasn't really seen a ton of playing time.
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  Speaker 2: Uh he came and was prepared to go, and he
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  Speaker 2: had I thought he had big time minutes. And Thomas Bryant,
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  Speaker 2: you know, he's had a couple of games where you know,
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: a couple of d MPs came prepared and made some big,
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  Speaker 2: big time shots and big time plays.
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  Speaker 3: Uh. So that's just what's important to us.
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  Speaker 2: We've been preaching, you know, how special we are as
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  Speaker 2: a group and how much depth matters, and we're showing it. So,
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  Speaker 2: like I said, man, it's just really special. Gamebridge Field
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  Speaker 2: House with Pacers fans celebrating this moment and a moment
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  Speaker 2: in history for Pacers. Yeah, I think as a group,
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  Speaker 2: you know, we really did want to get it done
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  Speaker 2: in the Garden last game, but I thought we just
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: didn't come out and play the right way. But I
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: just looked at it as kind of like delayed gratification,
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  Speaker 2: you know.
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  Speaker 3: You look at it another day. We didn't come to
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: play in game five.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know where Doyle is, but you know, we
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: just didn't play hard enough, you know, and that that happens.
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  Speaker 2: I know there was a question, but we just didn't
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: didn't play hard enough. And I thought we did a
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  Speaker 2: great job responding. I thought we did a great job
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  Speaker 2: of controlling the margins and winning that battle. It's like
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  Speaker 2: I said, I'm just really proud of, you know, this group,
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  Speaker 2: and it is special to do it in front of
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  Speaker 2: our fans, in front of our family and enjoy it
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  Speaker 2: with them, and uh yeah, it's definitely a uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: probably a core memory.
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  Speaker 3: In our lives.
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  Speaker 2: But I think there's a you know a lot more
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  Speaker 2: work to do, and you know, let's just keep creating memories.
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  Speaker 5: Kind of on that note, ten steals eighteen turnovers, thirty
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  Speaker 5: four points off turnovers.
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  Speaker 3: Just how important with defense?
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  Speaker 5: And I guess what does it say? I guess for
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  Speaker 5: just the progress you guys have made over the course
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  Speaker 5: of really the last year and a half to get
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  Speaker 5: to this point, and it's it's defense to kind of
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  Speaker 5: get you in there in the NBA Finals.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I just think the buy in from our whole
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  Speaker 2: group has been huge. You know, last year, all that
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  Speaker 2: was being said was we couldn't win because we don't
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  Speaker 2: guard anybody, and all we try to do is outscore people.
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  Speaker 2: And I think we've taken such a big step on
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  Speaker 2: the defensive end as a group. You know, I think Andrew,
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  Speaker 2: Aaron and Miles kind of lead that, you know, me
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  Speaker 2: and Pete do you know, are you know trying to
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  Speaker 2: follow their lead and get it going on that side
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  Speaker 2: of the ball. And then our bench guys just come
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  Speaker 2: in and bring more energy. So you know, I think, well,
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  Speaker 2: the step we've made on that side of the floor
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  Speaker 2: is is why we're here.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, we got our work.
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  Speaker 2: Cut out for us, you know, playing against MVP, playing
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: against one of the best officers in the league, the
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: best team in the league, so we got to be
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: prepared next series. But I just I think our buy
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  Speaker 2: in as a group has been huge and I'm really
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  Speaker 2: proud of our group.
• 7:04
  Speaker 6: Yeah, Ty wanted to ask in the whirlwind of your
• 7:07
  Speaker 6: first final celebration, do you do you think at all
• 7:12
  Speaker 6: about the thunder or you too much now, like, oh
• 7:14
  Speaker 6: my god, we made the finals.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I think human nature when you see
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  Speaker 2: them win, you know, it's easy to watch them win
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  Speaker 2: and be like, okay, so we're gonna play next, you know,
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  Speaker 2: want one more game. And I think that's the human
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  Speaker 2: nature part of it. But I think we talked to
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  Speaker 2: a group about just being as present as possible because
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: this game very well could have won a different way,
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  Speaker 2: and then you know, all the pressure be on us
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  Speaker 2: to go win there in game seven. They're just trying
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  Speaker 2: to be as present as possible as a group, and
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  Speaker 2: I think there was never a conversation about we play Okay,
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  Speaker 2: see next and what is it gonna look like and
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  Speaker 2: blah blah blah. There was never that conversation. But I
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  Speaker 2: think human nature is gonna creep in. You know, you're
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: gonna think about it. But I thought we did a
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  Speaker 2: great job of living in the moment today, making the
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  Speaker 2: plays we needed to today. And yeah, and if I
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: told you right now, my head's not thinking about what's next.
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  Speaker 3: And you know how we're gonna.
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  Speaker 2: Attack these guys and you know, compete against these guys
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  Speaker 2: and what.
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  Speaker 3: We're getting into.
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  Speaker 2: But I'm just trying to be as president as possible, uh,
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  Speaker 2: because like I said, this is going to be something
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  Speaker 2: that I remember, you know, for the rest of my life.
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  Speaker 3: And so I want.
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  Speaker 2: To be as president as I can and I will.
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  Speaker 3: Uh.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, of course I'm thinking about what's next
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: because you know, we got we gotta work it off
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: for us.
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  Speaker 7: I want to think about kind of what came before
• 8:28
  Speaker 7: really quick, just you know, considering the rough start you
• 8:31
  Speaker 7: guys had to run to five hundred in January, even
• 8:34
  Speaker 7: just what did it take for this group to make
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  Speaker 7: a run.
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  Speaker 3: To the finals? I think many things.
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  Speaker 2: I think honesty with each other, you know, having to
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  Speaker 2: look at each other, look at ourselves in the mirror
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  Speaker 2: and see where we had to make a big our
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: biggest change commitment to one another.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: Uh.
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  Speaker 2: To do that, you know, we had, you know, two
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: guys go down, two of our both our backup bigs
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: go down early in the year with torn achilles you know,
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: double A and Drew go through some early season injuries.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: We're you know, starting, different guys, different guys are playing.
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  Speaker 2: I thought we just did a great job of staying
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: together as a group and not worrying about outside noise.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: You know, internally, we had expectations to be here, and
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: use isn't a surprise to any of us because of
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: what we what we wanted to do. And I think,
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: you know, obviously there's a turning point there in December, January,
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: or whatever the case may be. I just thought we
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: did a great job of, like I mentioned earlier, just
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: being as present as possible, not living in the past,
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: not worrying about what's next. It's worrying about what's now.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: And I thought we did a great job of that
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: as a group. And you know, I think we all
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: went through different things this year. Obviously me personally, I
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: had my struggles. Many guys had their struggles. But I
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: think as a group, we just leaned down each other.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: And that's the most special part about this group. These
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: are these guys in the locker room. Are you are
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: gonna be my brothers for life?
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: You know?
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: And uh, you know what they've done for me. I
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: can't even you know, really put into words because you
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: know where I was earlier in the year, it was
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: really really tough for me. And uh, you know, I'm
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: just really appreciative of those guys, appreciative of this moment
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: and the fans and everybody's sticking with me and my
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: family and my loved ones, and yeah, I think there's
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: a lot that went into it, and it's hard to
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: really put into words like in this moment, but yeah,
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: it's a a special time to be a part of
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: this group. It's a special time to be a Pacer
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: fan and to be a part of this organization. And uh,
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: we just have great people in that locker room, from
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: you know, from our players to our coaches, to our
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: support staff, uh, to our ball boys, to everybody, you know,
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: everybody that that is a part of this. So you know,
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: it's a it's a really special feeling. And I can
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: ramble and ramble and ramble, and I probably am right now,
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: but I you know, I just I just think it's
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: a I can't put into words how special this group
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: biz and how much this means uh to us. So,
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: like I said, we're gonna enjoy it for the night
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: and then as a group, come together, and you know
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: you're ready for for what's in front of us, you know,
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: because what's in front of us is the first of four,
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: and you know, we understand we got a big challenge
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: in front of us, a great team, and uh, you
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: know we're gonna be prepared, you know, and we're gonna
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: be ready.
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: So now I'm looking forward to it. Appreciate it, guys,