How Steve Nash reacted to comparisons between 2025 Indiana Pacers and the '7 Seconds or Less' Phoenix Suns
True to their name, the Indiana Pacers are demonstrating a superb fast-paced, high-octane offense that has been the driving force for their magical run this postseason.
Under Rick Carlisle’s leadership, the Pacers are a force to be reckoned with, smoking their competition, leading up to this stage.
They outlasted Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round, pulled off a major upset against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the semifinals. Now they are just one win away from making it to the NBA Finals, holding a 3-1 series lead over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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Watching how the Pacers play on the offensive side of the ball is a thing of beauty.
Tyrese Haliburton is the floor general who controls the tempo for Indiana. Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, and T.J. McConnell are all working brilliantly as his complementary pieces.
With their run-and-gun schemes, the Pacers’ offensive stats are topping the league charts. Among the four teams left in the playoffs, they are No. 1 in points (118.5), field goal percentage (50%), three-point rate (39.7%), and offensive rating (118.4).
Bill Simmons is mesmerized by the offensive style of play shown by the Pacers, prompting him to liken them to the iconic “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns, and he claims Steve Nash agrees.
“I texted Steve Nash during the [Game 4 of East Finals] and asked him, Do you feel like [Indiana] is the illegitimate son of the 7 Seconds or Less Suns?’
“And he said, ‘Absolutely.’ I don’t know why I never really thought about it,” the NBA expert told the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“Maybe other people have made the comparison, but I don’t remember thinking that until I was watching [Game 4].”
The “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns in the mid-2000s served as a pioneer of the game we are witnessing right now.
Operating behind Mike D’Antoni’s coaching mastermind, the Suns flourished and revolutionized basketball, allowing Steve Nash to run the show, Amar’e Stoudemire to dominate, and Shawn Marion to seize the do-it-all role as the team’s Swiss Army knife
It’s intriguing to compare them with the Suns, but the Pacers’ 130-121 Game 4 win against the Knicks truly demonstrates their offensive ingenuity. Haliburton put on a show with a historic triple-double performance to treat the return of his dad to watch Indiana playoff games.
“I don’t even think it’s seven seconds or less. It might be six seconds or less. It might even be the Five-and-a-half-Seconds-or-less Pacers. They’re either getting two-on-ones, three-on-twos, or they’re getting into what they want to get into, and there’s still like 17, 16 seconds left on the shot clock,” Simmons further said about Indiana.
“I didn’t think the Knicks could keep up with their pace.”
As the spirit of the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns resonates, Haliburton and the Pacers are hoping to eventually claim the franchise’s first-ever NBA title.