After 9 years – The NBA gets a Game 7 Finals – No Room for Mistakes – History belongs to ONE – Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder – Who will rise as the Hero?
Three minutes into Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle strode onto the court and called a timeout. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams had just completed a dunk, and the Pacers were down 8-2.
For a moment, it looked like the beginnings of OKC’s coronation as NBA champions, even in the hostile environment of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers had missed their opening six shots, a streak that eventually grew to eight.
But Pascal Siakam hit a free throw line jumper and then a circus and-1 layup. Andrew Nembhard buried back-to-back 3-pointers. Indiana erased an eight-point Thunder lead and stormed in front. And instead of a back-and-forth contest, the Pacers’ early surge was a precursor of an onslaught.
Rather than this night being about Oklahoma City finally celebrating a championship after years of close calls and a dominant regular season and playoffs, it became a celebration of how this Pacers team, yet again, defied expectations.
The Pacers did it the same way they have so many times before: with a collective effort. Tyrese Haliburton, playing despite a calf strain, was one of six players to score in double figures after missing all six shots he took in Game 5 in Oklahoma City. Indiana had seven players make at least one 3-pointer, and became the first team in NBA history to have at least eight players score at least 200 points in a postseason — showing off the balanced attack that has made the Pacers such a tough opponent to beat.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, couldn’t have looked worse in its first Finals closeout game. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a postseason career-high eight turnovers. Only three players (Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein) scored in double figures. The Pacers obliterated the Thunder in the possession game, finishing with 18 more shots.
As a result, this series is headed back to OKC for the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016 — one of the greatest games ever played: The Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors at Oakland’s Oracle Arena.
That game cemented LeBron James’s legacy, bringing Cleveland its first championship and completing a series comeback from down 3-1 against the 73-win Warriors. Who knows what Sunday’s 48 minutes will bring? But after Game 7, either Oklahoma City or Indiana will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time. — Tim Bontemps
Game 6: Pacers 108, Thunder 91
Haliburton, McConnell step up with series on the line
With their season on the line, the Pacers played a near-perfect game. They dominated the turnover battle, controlled the pace, limited the Thunder’s passing game, and won the battle at the 3-point line. Indiana even got a strong performance from Haliburton, who was playing despite a right calf strain. Haliburton put up 14 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, and T.J. McConnell sparked the team again with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. This game marked Indiana’s 10th win as an underdog this postseason, tied for the most in a single postseason in the past 35 years. — Jamal Collier
Turnovers define tough night for Thunder
What didn’t go wrong for the Thunder? With a chance to clinch a championship, Oklahoma City was thoroughly dominated in pretty much every aspect. The Thunder were getting ready for Game 7 by the start of the fourth quarter, when all of Oklahoma City’s starters were sitting. Maybe the most surprising facet of this blowout was the turnover battle. The Pacers had a 12-2 edge at halftime against an OKC squad that entered Game 6 plus-126 in that category in the playoffs, by far the best turnover margin for a team during a postseason since the ABA-NBA merger. — Tim MacMahon
What to watch for Game 7
The adage about the two most exciting words in sports are “Game 7” goes double in the NBA Finals, which have had just three Game 7s in the past two decades — all instant classics full of tension and drama. The Cavaliers upset the Warriors in 2016, the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 and the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Boston Celtics in 2010.
Indiana hopes that the most recent of those games will play out again, with a Central Division underdog clinching the title against a historically great Western Conference team on the road. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, will aim to continue replaying its second-round series against Denver. That series and the Finals have been in lockstep so far for the Thunder: a heartbreaking last-second loss in Game 1, a comfortable win in Game 2, another blown fourth-quarter lead in Game 3, gut-check wins in Games 4 and 5, then a double-digit loss in Game 6. Oklahoma City beat Denver by 32 points in Game 7.
That last win is symptomatic of another trend that could determine Game 7 of the Finals — especially after Oklahoma City scored its fewest points this season Thursday. The Thunder have been much better at home in the playoffs, with a 10-2 record — which would be 12-0 if not for those last-second stunners — and plus-20.6 point differential at the Paycom Center. On the road, conversely, they’re 5-5 with a minus-6.7 point differential. The Thunder have also made 37.5% of their 3s at home in the postseason, versus a miserable 29.9% on the road.
For comparison, the Pacers have a more even playoff split, but have still been better at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with an 8-3 record and plus-5.9 point differential at home, versus a 7-4 record and minus-0.5 point differential on the road.
Those signs suggest the Thunder should be favored to win Game 7 at home. But the stakes will be as high as possible Sunday. To cap a fun back-and-forth series, we’re due for another classic. — Zach Kram
