Pacers’ Obi Toppin on Game 6: ‘We’ve Got to Be Fearless’

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers are on the brink of elimination in the NBA Finals, needing to secure a win in Game 6 to stay in contention for the championship. Toppin spoke to reporters on Wednesday, stressing the need for his team to approach the game without fear. “We’ve just got to go into this next game fearless,” he said. “There are two games left, but we’ve got to get this one (Thursday) first.”

In Game 5, Toppin scored 12 points, marking his third game in double figures during the series. The Pacers faced a tough loss, falling 120-109 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which allowed the Thunder to take a 3-2 series lead. Toppin was effective on offense, hitting 5 of 11 shots from the field and grabbing four rebounds.

Looking ahead to Game 6, Toppin emphasized the importance of playing their style of basketball to keep their season alive. “Just go out there and play our type of basketball,” he said. “Bring 110 percent effort the whole entire game and just do what we do best.”

Toppin ranks fifth on the Pacers in scoring during the finals, with an average of 11.4 points per game. He has accumulated 57 points, just shy of the record for most points scored by a former Dayton player in the finals, which is 64 held by Johnny Davis in 1977.

This season, Toppin has averaged around 24.5 minutes per game in the finals, an increase from previous rounds of the playoffs. He has played in 100 games this season, including 79 in the regular season and 21 in the playoffs. “I’m not tired,” he said, “I’m still young. I’ve got these young legs on me. This is our job. We love to do it and wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

Despite the setback in Game 5, the Pacers may need to play without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is dealing with a calf strain. Toppin expressed confidence in his teammates, saying, “We’ve got soldiers on this team. We’re going to try to play through any type of injury. Ty’s a soldier. He’s most likely going to be good. We don’t know yet. We’ll see how that goes tomorrow.”

If Haliburton cannot play, Toppin emphasized the need for teammates to step up. “The next man’s got to step up. Everybody on this team is more than capable of stepping up and filling in anybody’s spot. We’ve just got to be dogs to get this one.”