The Indiana Pacers just stole Game One of the NBA Finals from the Oklahoma City Thunder. This team continues to break the hearts of other fandoms. They did it to the Bucks in Round One, the Cavaliers in Round Two, the Knicks in Round Three, and OKC on the Biggest stage. Game One was a perfect display of what each team was made of!
The OKC Thunder, for most of the game, demonstrated why they were ranked as having the best defense all year. They forced 24 turnovers and added seven blocks on top of it. In the first half, especially, Indiana struggled to execute any of the sets they wanted to run. OKC put a lot of pressure near the three-point line, forcing Indiana to take difficult shots.
Alex Caruso and Lu Dort were incredible, combining for seven steals and 4 blocks. They made life very difficult for Haliburton, especially early in the game. Despite the loss, the Thunder had Indiana scrambling during many of their possessions, and that is something the Pacers must address in Game Two.
Tyrese Haliburton hit a clutch shot to put the Pacers up 111-110, and he’s going to get all the credit in the World and deservedly so. However, do not make a mistake about it; this was a full team victory. The Pacers had six players score 10+ points, and a seventh player scored nine. Players such as Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith were huge. Whenever it felt like the game was going to get out of hand, Toppin hit a three to stem the tide.
Siakam and Haliburton had a slow start but came alive in the second half, helping the team erase a 12-point halftime deficit. The Pacers are the deepest team OKC has faced in the postseason. Usually, OKC breaks the game wide open late in games because their depth allows their players to stay fresh down the stretch, but it looks like Indiana was able to match their depth and thoroughly outplayed them in the waning moments.
This game summed up how each team has performed in the clutch throughout the entire postseason. The Pacers have snatched victory from the Jaws of defeat, and OKC tightened up a bit when things were not going their way. This OKC felt very familiar. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in a very similar fashion in Game 1 of Round 2, exactly a month ago.
If Indiana was going to have any chance to pull off the upset in these finals, they had to win the tight games down the stretch, and that’s exactly what they did. This was the one area where they had an advantage over OKC.
This game demonstrated the neutralizing effect of the three-point shot. The Pacers’ hitting 18/39 threes enabled them to overcome their record-breaking first half of turnovers with 19. It was not just the three-point shot, as the Pacers out-rebounded OKC 56 to 39, giving them extra shots down the stretch.
Turnovers are a killer, and the Pacers need to, no doubt, clean them up, but the Pacers showed that even the worst of ball security can be overcome with hustle and great shooting. Not every team can do that, but since the Pacers are so deep and so big, they can get away with it.
One thing to note is that, in addition to the good shooting and rebounding, the Pacers’ transition defense was tremendous. They allowed just 11 points off 24 turnovers. This was another factor that kept them within striking distance all game.
OKC will no doubt come back in Game Two with a vengeance. The team may be young, but they are mentally tough, and a loss like this will not rattle them. After their Game One loss to Denver, they won 149-106 in Game 2. Indiana must be ready for the knockout punch because OKC will be looking to deliver it early.
All the pressure has shifted to OKC for Game Two!
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