Pat McAfee delivered a WWE-style promo throughout Recreation 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals, injecting a jolt of power into the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Because the Indiana Pacers clashed with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in a tightly contested sequence, McAfee seized the highlight throughout a fourth-quarter timeout. The previous Indianapolis Colts punter and media character grabbed the mic and instantly electrified the house crowd with a fiery, wrestling-inspired speech, even calling out Stephen A. Smith within the course of.
McAfee appeared to rally Pacers followers with trademark depth. Consequently, with tensions peaking and the Finals hanging within the steadiness, McAfee’s efficiency went viral nearly immediately. It added one other layer of drama to an already heated Recreation 4 showdown.
Channeling the theatrics of a main-event heel turned hometown hero, McAfee absolutely embraced the underdog narrative. “Oklahoma Metropolis was favored by 6.5 factors,” he shouted. “That makes us the most important underdogs within the historical past of the NBA Finals!”
He didn’t cease there. although. Cameras caught McAfee calling out ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith by title, slamming the oddsmakers, and declaring Indiana’s fanbase the very best in sports activities. In response, the gang erupted, echoing his ardour as the ultimate minutes ticked down.
Undoubtedly, it was classic Pat McAfee; loud, charismatic, and unfiltered. Nonetheless, whereas the constructing buzzed with power, it wasn’t sufficient to shift the momentum on the courtroom. The Thunder, fueled by a late surge from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, stormed again to choose up a 111–104 victory, night the sequence at 2-2 within the course of.
After the sport, reactions poured in. Some Pacers followers joked that McAfee’s speech “jinxed” their probabilities.
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In the meantime, Kendrick Perkins, a former Thunder heart who additionally works as an ESPN analyst now, fired again at McAfee after the sport. “We don’t want no one on the mic to get OKC hyped,” he mentioned on NBA Right now. “That constructing speaks for itself.”
“By the best way, Pat McAfee, in OKC, we do not want no one on the mic to get them hyped. They’re gonna be hyped. That constructing is gonna be rocking.”
Kendrick Perkins responds to Pat McAfee hyping the Indiana crowd up. pic.twitter.com/fEF24ky3Zw
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) June 14, 2025
In the end, Recreation 4 wasn’t simply an NBA Finals conflict, it turned a battle of power, emotion, and viral moments. And though the Pacers suffered the loss, McAfee’s promo might go down as one of many high moments from this sequence.
With Recreation 5 looming in Oklahoma Metropolis, the stakes couldn’t be greater. Pat McAfee lit a hearth, however now it’s on the Pacers to ship, as a result of in the event that they wish to carry house their first NBA championship, the time to make a press release is now.