The air in Indianapolis still smells like heartbreak. Just hours after the Thunder hoisted the trophy, Pacers fans sat in that hollow silence only sports can deliver—the kind where you replay every what-if until sunrise. But for Pat McAfee, the pain cuts deeper than a tough loss. It’s personal. His social media post read like a love letter to a team that refused to quit. The Pacers stumbled early. Critics laughed. Then came the second-half surge—that electric, underdog joyride where Indiana became must-watch basketball. Tyrese Haliburton, playing through pain, turned into a walking miracle night after night. Until suddenly, he wasn’t.
McAfee’s words hit like a gut punch, “Sick to our stomachs for him.” Not just because the Finals slipped away, but because Haliburton gave everything. Every dribble, every wince, every ounce of grit for a city that finally believed again. Now? The long road back. The grueling rehab. The quiet sacrifices no box score will ever show.
Thank you @Pacers.. This season was a lot of fun.
Fresh off of an Eastern Conference finals appearance last year.. nobody, outside of Indy, expected shit from this team. So when they stumbled out of the gates, everybody wrote them off.. then the All Star break came and went and… pic.twitter.com/4ZtEeRVVzF
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 23, 2025
The post wasn’t just about basketball. It was about Pascal’s leadership, TJ’s hustle, and Rick Carlisle’s genius. About a blue-collar town wrapping its arms around a team that fought like hell. Oklahoma City earned its rings, but Indy? They earned something rarer—pride that doesn’t fade with a final buzzer.
McAfee signed off with grace for the champs, but you can hear the ache between the lines. Some losses sting. This one lingers. Because the Pacers didn’t just lose a series—they lost a piece of their soul along the way. And for a guy like Pat, that’s enough to keep you up at night.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned…
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