Things have reached a boiling point in the NBA Finals, as the series is currently tied 2-2 after four physical and very competitive games. Only one team’s success—and heart, and grit—can write this narrative.
Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder
Both the Pacers and Thunder have battled. Both teams deserve to go far. As the edge of the championship looms, the stakes can’t be higher.
In fact, Game 3 became the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show. They gave him an assist on the most points scored in the last five minutes of a Finals game since 1971! He was the opposite, performing best in do-or-die situations and proving his genius when the stakes were highest. His leadership propelled his team to a heart-stopping photo finish. Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as a standout player, leading all high-volume scorers with 1.16 points per isolation possession that results directly in a shot, turnover, or foul over the past three seasons.
The Thunder have really, really, REALLY favored one-on-one scoring as the crutch for offensive creation thus far in this series, relying on singular creator talent to establish baskets. It’s because their dependence on isolation plays is finally starting to show some cracks. The opposite has been true with the Pacers, who have taken advantage of these weaknesses, specifically their knack for hitting corner threes. Offensively, in the Finals, Indiana has been astounding with a blistering 48% efficiency on corner-three looks. From above the break, their performance plummets to 31%.
Pascal Siakam has been a key contributor for the Pacers, averaging 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during the Finals. His defensive brilliance shows up here, too, adding 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Siakam’s varied talents have been crucial to this series. He’s really feasted on a Thunder team that’s given up the most corner three-pointers of any team in the league this year.
Although they are not the results they hoped for, the Thunder have been captivating in their pursuit for success. More worrying for Oklahoma City was what was on full display in Game 4. Even more surprising, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went without an assist for the first time in five years. This obscure statistic is a great way to illustrate the complex new dynamics of the offense. Once heralded as the anti-Mike D’Antoni team for their free ball movement, the Thunder averaged over 16 assists a game in the regular season outside of one game. By sharp contrast, they recorded just 11 dimes in Game 4.
The Pacers’ success from beyond the arc has further accentuated the Thunder’s defensive weaknesses. In this series, they scored directly from 25 of their 52 corner attempts. They faded over the break, shooting just 27 of 87 from the floor. This disparity reflects Indiana’s strategic advantage and highlights the Thunder’s defensive lapses.
Both teams are preparing for a winner-take-all Game 5. All these guys, including Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, will be relied upon big-time to close out these games. Whether their defensive players can put a stop to their scoring threats might be what decides this in either team’s favor.
With just six points between them after four games, both teams are set for an exciting clash on the banks of the Atlantic. Fans are surely wondering if this exciting series will go the distance to a winner take all Game 7.
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