The 2025 NBA Finals featured a thrilling seven-game series between Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder. It went the distance, exciting many fans all over the country. However, there was a conspiracy going around that the league preferred a different series.
The NBA has featured big market and small market teams throughout its entire history. However, the former usually got the bigger spotlight due to their immense popularity over the latter. New York and Los Angeles are the major examples of this, usually having sports media discuss at both their highs and lows. As for the small market, they mainly get recognition when they are playing at an incredible level.
The conspiracy alleged that the NBA somehow rigged the proceedings to have the Pacers and Thunder make it that far in the playoffs in the first place. It explains that without considering Oklahoma City’s 68-win season and Indiana’s recent success in making the 2024 East Finals prior to reaching the NBA Finals.
Haliburton appeared as a guest on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast on Aug. 26, via NBC Sports. They went over multiple topics, including the Achilles injury, his viral nickname, and his Team USA journey in the 2024 Olympics among others.
He talked about the overall NBA conspiracy, firmly believing it to be nonsensical. He thought that if the league rigged the playoffs, they’d have made sure the Knicks beat the Pacers instead
“Well, the problem is—I play for the Indiana Pacers. So, if the NBA was going to rig the league, the last two teams they’d probably rig it for would be the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Haliburton said, via HoopsHype.
“I mean, I think that if the league wanted to rig it, they would’ve probably rigged it for the Knicks to be successful. So I think it’s just kind of good luck — just happenstance — that we happened to be there.”
What Lies Ahead For Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
GettyINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JUNE 13: Tyrese Haliburton #0 and Obi Toppin #1 of the Indiana Pacers celebrate during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
As Tyrese Haliburton mentioned, it would have taken a lot for the NBA to rig the playoffs.
The Knicks would have drawn more viewers as a big market in a hypothetical NBA Finals series against the Thunder. However, the scenario didn’t come to fruition as the Pacers beat New York in six games during the East Finals.
The NBA Finals isn’t meant for the best teams of the regular season. It’s for the squads that reach their peak in the playoffs. If the concept was in favor of the former, then the teams that finish first in their respective conference would be the series for the championship.
Indiana proved themselves to be the East’s best team, beating the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Knicks. Oklahoma City did its part in the West by beating the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Conspiracies are rarely, if ever, true. In the NBA, a lot would have to happen for that concept to be legitimate. For Haliburton, he doesn’t see it as a reasonable case as the league’s level of competition is unlike any other.
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