The Pacers now have their season on the brink. Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, faces his own scrutiny amid his calf injury.

The Indiana Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, June 19, on the brink of elimination down 3-2.

I think it's awful some of the things I've seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster in particular,” Carlisle said.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Sunday decried the swell of public criticism of the officiating that flowed following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 4 win in the 2025 NBA Finals, describing the carping on perceived mistaken calls and non-calls — specifically those involving longtime NBA referee Scott Foster — as,

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle offered an impassioned and somewhat unprompted defense of referee Scott Foster on Sunday, evidently aware of the mountains of online criticism that came after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

The Indiana Pacers have taken a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals, but head coach Rick Carlisle wants his team to approach each game against the Oklahoma City Thunder like scrappy underdogs.