Mark Daigneault left his starting lineup from Game 1 unchanged, with Cason Wallace continuing in place of Isaiah Hartenstein for Game 2. The Oklahoma City Thunder were comfortable with their pre-series adjustment carrying over despite their loss, but Daigneault split the difference by using the double-big lineup of Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein late in the first quarter—and it began to tilt the game. The best coaches are simultaneously stubborn and adaptable. Holmgren scored the final seven points of the quarter, including two perimeter shots from the left wing.
Oklahoma City's depth to surround Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their metronome superstar, is their biggest strength. And while they were not explosively forcing turnovers against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 the way they were in Game 1, they found better balance in all facets of the game with their rotations. The Thunder were not ripping the ball away from the Pacers every other possession, but they were making it insanely challenging for them to create decent offense. Indiana had found a way to not constantly turn the ball over, but they were far from settled. The Thunder have prevented the Pacers from playing with any of the force or pace they exhibited in the first three rounds of the playoffs.
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ESPN and the NBA received criticism during and after Game 1 that the broadcast felt more like a nationally televised game in January than it did a Finals telecast in June. One of the arguments was the absence of either the Larry O'Brien trophy or Finals script on the court. While the NBA moved away from that after 2014, they have added an overlay for the broadcast in recent years.
As Game 2 began, we suddenly saw a pixelated clip-art version of the Larry O'Brien trophy near midcourt along each sideline. The production value was low, with a flag waving in the stands in front of it confusing the technology. At the start of the second quarter, the trophy became the traditional Finals script with a "presented by YouTube TV" ad beside it. This looked markedly better, though surely not as elegant as that. The bad trophy returned after halftime, only for the script to return for the fourth quarter.
There is more space than ever on the NBA court in terms of where the players are placed at any given time, yet the court itself is cluttered with ads and an ever-growing midcourt logo. ESPN/NBA course-correcting mid-series became a little easter egg hunt we didn't know we needed.
These games will either be entertaining, competitive and compelling on their own or they won’t. In the moment narratives and storytelling will never equal what nostalgia adds to those same moments in the future. In no small part this is due to so much of the story involving these figures that still needs to play out and will be added to it.
The halftime show could use more time and less production. It would be nice to feel the energy of the building during pregame introductions. Chemistry could be better with the announcers. None of this will be remembered compared to the results, the highlights and what we feel watching the game. We've already forgotten everything about Game 1 except for Haliburton's game-winner and the other best moments of basketball.
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Gilgeous-Alexander was as close to his version of subtly perfect as possible. He had 34 points on 21 shot attempts along with four steals, acting as a playmaker on defense. Gilgeous-Alexander stripped Tyrese Haliburton on a third-quarter drive just as the Pacers' star was getting both of his feet into the paint, as he's wont to do.
More importantly, Gilgeous-Alexander kept the ball moving and gave enough space for Jalen Williams to score 19, Holmgren to score 15, along with Alex Caruso scoring 20 and Aaron Wiggins adding 18. Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t necessarily directly create shots for his teammates as much as he creates opportunities for them.
"We are the team we are because of our depth," Gilgeous-Alexander told Scott Van Pelt after the game. "Because of the punches we can throw through 10, 11 men. That's what makes us special."
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There was no magical late-game Indiana run here. Haliburton scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder lead was insurmountable. Haliburton appeared prepared to be more aggressive in the first half, but he couldn’t get going with the way the Thunder threw bodies at him and took away all of his space.
The Pacers return home to Game 3 and we’ll see what type of impact the homecourt advantage will have where they are able to recommit to playing with pace. Otherwise, returning to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on June 16th could be a closeout game for the Thunder.