The Pacers force a seventh game of the Finals with a heroic victory

Rising from the brink, the Indiana Pacers routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday, forcing a seventh and final game of the NBA Finals, which will be played on Sunday.

Tyrese Haliburton (14 points) overcame his muscle problems to lead this heroic victory in Indianapolis against the worst version of the Thunder and their leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21).

"We had our backs against the wall and we responded," Haliburton said after a victory that tied the tie at 3-3 on aggregate in this exciting tie.

"It's the Finals, I had to give everything I had for this group," the home star said of his injury. "There's one game left, so all the cards are on the table."

The NBA title will be decided in a Game 7 for the first time since LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers' historic 2016 victory over Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.

With that victory on the court of the powerful Warriors, King James' team is the only one to have come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.

While they still have some work to do, these Pacers have already staged a series of improbable comebacks in these playoffs.

They went into Thursday's match, their first life-or-death encounter, with their morale severely weakened by their last two consecutive defeats and the physical limitations of their leader, so they opted for a risky strategy that worked perfectly for them.

Their experienced coach, Rick Carlisle, gave the order to bombard the Thunder from the outside line and his players responded by sinking 15 three-pointers out of 42 attempts (35.7%).

The other pillar of the home team's performance was their stirring defensive effort, fueled by the electric atmosphere at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which short-circuited the attack led by Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Canadian point guard, the season's Most Valuable Player (MVP), committed 8 turnovers , equaling his career high, and handed out only 2 assists.

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were held to 16 and 4 points and are forced to react in the decisive game in which the Thunder, undisputed favorites at the start of the Finals, will carry all the pressure.

The magical night in Indianapolis began to take shape an hour and a half before the game, when Carlisle confirmed that Haliburton would be back on the court despite the strain he is suffering from in his right calf.

The All-Star point guard has been the great talisman of the Pacers' stratospheric playoff run, as they, as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, dispatched contenders like the Cavaliers and the Knicks.

The presence of their leader was the boost of confidence the Pacers needed to take on the Thunder in the stifling Indianapolis atmosphere.

The home team didn't let up after missing their first eight shots and finding themselves with an early 8-2 disadvantage.

Two consecutive three-pointers from Andrew Nembhard were the signal Indiana needed to unleash an offensive storm that overwhelmed Oklahoma City's renowned defense.

Two more consecutive three-pointers from Obi Toppin, the home team's leading scorer with 20 points, had the crowd roaring, while Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other side of the court, was unable to dictate the pace of the game.

Indiana gradually opened up a 13-point lead (48-35), its largest advantage in the Finals. Celebrating in the front row was Reggie Miller, the icon of the last Pacers to reach the Finals, in 2000.

With the lead exceeding twenty points, Haliburton had the luxury of intercepting a pass from Jalen Williams and serving up a fantastic assist for Pascal Siakam's (16 points) ferocious dunk.

Seconds later, ecstasy erupted in Indianapolis with a spectacular half-turn shot by Siakam at the halftime buzzer, giving the Pacers a 64-42 lead.

Although the Thunder had a timid reaction, taking advantage of Haliburton receiving medical attention on the bench, the home team did not let go of their prey.

Without sitting down for the entire second half, the 18,000 Indianapolis fans saw their rival throw in the towel by withdrawing their starters with five minutes left.

With the wind now in their favor, the irreducible Pacers are just one step away from their first title ever.