NBA FINALS: THUNDER VS. PACERS

June 21, 2025

Myles Turner

Indiana Pacers

Practice Day

Q. What's the mentality going into tomorrow?

MYLES TURNER: It's a championship game. Do-or-die. Mentality is just -- you shouldn't have to get hyped to play this game. I think the situation is what it is.

Q. Biggest game you've ever played in?

MYLES TURNER: Yeah, I would say so. You know, I played in the FIBA World Cup as far as a world stage but this is the stage of all stages. I would say so.

Q. The next 24 hours, how tough is it to get to sleep and not think about it but think about it?

MYLES TURNER: I fall into a routine. That's helping. Keep doing my same routine I've done during all playoffs. The anticipation is obviously going to be there but just roll with it.

Q. You won in Game 1, so you know what it's like to win here. Do you lean on that to help you tomorrow night?

MYLES TURNER: We have to lean on everything we've learned in the playoff series as a whole. We take it as a game-by-game basis, but it's a long, grueling two months of playoffs experience.

Q. Can you draw anything from last year that might help tomorrow?

MYLES TURNER: Have to, just the environment, the mistakes, everything that comes with it. Draw on the experience and throw punches.

Q. What do you make of Pascal's two-way performance?

MYLES TURNER: He's a champion. He's been here before. He's going to draw by his own experiences and lead by example. He's done an amazing job of that, being a vocal leader and being someone that we can lean into.

Q. Just this journey for you, ten years, we've had you reflect on this late but now being in Game 7, can you take a step back and look at this journey for us?

MYLES TURNER: I don't have enough time. It's been ten years of experience. It's all for a moment like such. So I just -- everything I've been through, everything, it's all worth it to play at 7:00 tomorrow.

Q. You guys are one of the more interesting screen-setting teams in the league. When you set a screen, is your first goal to impede the path and make contact on the screen? I know it depends on the type of screen but is your first goal, do you want to make contact with the defender or just make sure he can't run the coverage?

MYLES TURNER: To answer your question as a whole, of course your ultimate goal is to create some kind of contact at some point. But we are just trying to free up space. That's the whole thing with screens.

Q. How much do you lean on Rick?

MYLES TURNER: You have to. I watched the documentary on YouTube of the Championship in 2011. You grow up watching that but you don't really know what goes into building a championship team and building a mentality and how grueling of a process it is. Yeah, it's the most fun time of year.

Q. You've played six games already but do you expect any early-game jitters knowing the weight of the game?

MYLES TURNER: You dream of these moments but guys like ourselves, we've been in Game 7s before or a Game 7 before. Stakes weren't quite as high but you have to lean on that do-or-die mentality. Honestly, for us the last three games have all been Game 7s.