2025 NBA FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4 Indiana Pacers (IND leads 2-1)

[Letsgokings]

Why is Williams taking shots from sga? Did he forget whose MVP or something? Also sga is the crappiest MVP of all time. U really can't get 25 in a finals game? So stupid

[MalonesElbows]

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A fool and their money are easily parted

[MrPainfulTruth]

If IND wins it all, probably the greatest title run in the NBA… ever. Crazy!

Naw would still take this Pacers win over what Dallas did. What Dallas did was amazing but they did have a bonafide superstar in Dirk and a great roles players. Don't think there is a player on Dirk's level on the Pacers.

Tell us you didnt watch NBA in 2011, without telling us.

[Archx]

A bit selective stat but it was in a win.

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[Andri]

Well, it was an very interesting game, for sure.

I still think Denver slightly dominated from 3 to 6, just to lose due to their lack of depth at the end of games. This led to lack of bench production AND Jokic, Murray and Gordon mostly being gassed and/or somehow injured. That also made them not able to compete in the decisive G7.

Yesterday game I felt the same. Pacers were in control, meaning that the game was played on their terms. And the stats confirm this.

They won by 9 despite that they generated 1.12 xPTS/shot vs 1.07 made, so they shot worse that expected. And OKC shot better than expected, 1.05xPTS/shot vs 1.09 made. So, almost +10 points in favor of OKC just for shot discrepancy or performance.

Also, Indiana lost the rebound battle. The key, as it was before, as it will be until the end, the TO's battle.

So Mark Daigneault has work to do if he doesn't want to be in the 3-1 hole after G4, with the better roster. Also SGA should look at himself, this kind of games is where he just cannot play within his comfort zone, and be ok with a loss.

G4 is the new G7. Pacers better think they have not accomplished nothing yet, if they split at home OKC regains the odds.

[Iwasawitness]

Naw would still take this Pacers win over what Dallas did. What Dallas did was amazing but they did have a bonafide superstar in Dirk and a great roles players. Don't think there is a player on Dirk's level on the Pacers.

Tell us you didnt watch NBA in 2011, without telling us.

This is definitely superior to 2011, it's not really up for debate.

[Wallace_Wallace]

Naw would still take this Pacers win over what Dallas did. What Dallas did was amazing but they did have a bonafide superstar in Dirk and a great roles players. Don't think there is a player on Dirk's level on the Pacers.

Tell us you didnt watch NBA in 2011, without telling us.

So what’s your point? Isn’t it true that the Pacers don’t have a player as good as Dirk Nowitzki?

[C3H6N6O6]

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A fool and their money are easily parted

Fools are those who think this isn't just an ad.
The guy is a partner on that betting app.

[Iwasawitness]

the 2011 Mavs are a greater team than 2025 pacers.
The Mavs had future HOFs and all star players on their team. Its not close.

lebron is better than sga

2025 OKC are a better team than 2011 Heat by a pretty significant margin.

[Iwasawitness]

Naw would still take this Pacers win over what Dallas did. What Dallas did was amazing but they did have a bonafide superstar in Dirk and a great roles players. Don't think there is a player on Dirk's level on the Pacers.

Tell us you didnt watch NBA in 2011, without telling us.

So what’s your point? Isn’t it true that the Pacers don’t have a player as good as Dirk Nowitzki?

Painfultruth doesn't have a point. He's wrong just like always.

You have to be braindead to think the Dallas 2011 is superior to this. It's not even close.

Avoid the personal attacks please. Don't call people braindead. -b

[BrianInPhilly]

This 2011 Mavs debate vs Indy this year is ridiculous because who cares. Most of ya’ll seem to agree but just talking past one another.

1st - Pacers haven’t won yet. IF THEY DO, their run would be more improbably , less likely, more Cinderella than 2011. But that’s not same as “greater”. Mavs run was greater cause of teams they faced, Mavs were not that much of underdogs like Pacers team are. Dirk was legit #1. Going into playoffs, people wouldn’t have ranked anyone on Pacers top 15 in league.

[Iwasawitness]

the 2011 Mavs are a greater team than 2025 pacers.
The Mavs had future HOFs and all star players on their team. Its not close.

Siakam was better than anyone on that Mavs team besides Dirk. That team was old as ****. The Heatles were also a way better team than the Thunder. Their core were all veterans in their primes. Wade already had a title and FMVP and LeBron had been to the Finals. This OKC roster doesn't have comparable talent or experience.

Heat a way better team than OKC

That might be sig worthy.

[Iwasawitness]

This 2011 Mavs debate vs Indy this year is ridiculous because who cares. Most of ya’ll seem to agree but just talking past one another.

1st - Pacers haven’t won yet. IF THEY DO, their run would be more improbably , less likely, more Cinderella than 2011. But that’s not same as “greater”. Mavs run was greater cause of teams they faced, Mavs were not that much of underdogs like Pacers team are. Dirk was legit #1. Going into playoffs, people wouldn’t have ranked anyone on Pacers top 15 in league.

If Indy wins, they will have beaten two 60 win teams (both of which with SRS ratings above 8) and a healthy Knicks team. They will have four comeback wins, all of which dwarf what Dallas did in game 2 against Miami, and they would be the biggest underdogs in terms of betting odds for this finals series.

It is not even close. It's not even a debate.

[DaGawd]

In what world were the Knicks in competition to beat the pacers?

They weren't even close.

in what world is losing a series in 6 close games not even close?

Was the Celtics and Knicks close? I've been told it wasn't.

The Knicks were firmly not in that series.

of course knicks celtics was close lol you’re reaching

[BrianInPhilly]

This 2011 Mavs debate vs Indy this year is ridiculous because who cares. Most of ya’ll seem to agree but just talking past one another.

1st - Pacers haven’t won yet. IF THEY DO, their run would be more improbably , less likely, more Cinderella than 2011. But that’s not same as “greater”. Mavs run was greater cause of teams they faced, Mavs were not that much of underdogs like Pacers team are. Dirk was legit #1. Going into playoffs, people wouldn’t have ranked anyone on Pacers top 15 in league.

If Indy wins, they will have beaten two 60 win teams (both of which with SRS ratings above 8) and a healthy Knicks team. They will have four comeback wins, all of which dwarf what Dallas did in game 2 against Miami, and they would be the biggest underdogs in terms of betting odds for this finals series.

It is not even close. It's not even a debate.

As I said I'm not sure what you're arguing. You say all that to then say "they would be the biggest underdogs in terms of betting odds of this finals series" which I AGREE ... But I don't see how that statement is correlated to the statement on teams they faced. I'm not discounting what Indy did but Mavs in 2011 definitely to the objective eye faced tougher teams considering Cavs injuries in 2nd round. Objectively ... Bucks/Portland 1st round - Comparable, 2nd round - Cavs/Lakers - CONSIDERING Cavs injuries, Lakers tougher team ... 3rd round - OKC/Knicks - up for debate, comparable tho I'd lean OKC talent wise, 4th round - OKC/Miami - comparable ... Every series comparable but 2nd round tilts to Dallas favor.

Again though, not discounting what Indy has done. They are the more improbable team, more cinderella team than 2011 Dallas. "storyline" wise it is just hard to beat the Mavs last hurrah with aging vets like Dirk, Kidd, Marion. Both teams the whole world was rooting for which is cool though.

[Wallace_Wallace]

Tell us you didnt watch NBA in 2011, without telling us.

So what’s your point? Isn’t it true that the Pacers don’t have a player as good as Dirk Nowitzki?

Painfultruth doesn't have a point. He's wrong just like always.

You have to be braindead to think the Dallas 2011 is superior to this. It's not even close.

There are similarities between the two Carlisle teams. Both teams utilize the length of the court extremely well (Terry & co. for Dallas, Nesmith & co. For Indiana), the corner threes killed their opponents. However, there’s not many players in the history of the league who can make bailout shots as good as Dirk. Indiana hope Siakam can be aggressive attacking the basket, but he’s nowhere near the offensive hub that Dirk was. Indiana is also on track to defeat two 60 win teams which cannot be ignored.

[50yrceltsfan]

Great game from Indy but they still have to win Game 4 if they want any chance at winning this series and OKC doesn't lose back-to-backs. They only did it twice all season and haven't done it this postseason. They'll win Game 4 and the series. Same thing that happened to them against Denver. They've been here before. They're not worried. I expect a huge game from SGA in Game 4.

"any chance"??? By winning G1, all Indy has to do is win every other game and it's over in 6. I don't see them losing 2 in a row at this point. The Pacers are the big favorite now.

[xBulletproof]

Halliburton's adjustments from game to game are just amazing. I just wish he could adjust during the game as well.

It's annoying to just keep seeing people say he can't do things and that's why he doesn't. He can do them and that's what makes it even more frustrating sometimes when he doesn't. He CAN force the issue and get shots. He can score more, it has nothing to do with an inability to handle the ball or not being athletic.

Those people come out of the woodwork after a bad game, like all the other games never happened with their confirmation bias. Just gotta ignore it

[Hoop Hunter]

This 2011 Mavs debate vs Indy this year is ridiculous because who cares. Most of ya’ll seem to agree but just talking past one another.

1st - Pacers haven’t won yet. IF THEY DO, their run would be more improbably , less likely, more Cinderella than 2011. But that’s not same as “greater”. Mavs run was greater cause of teams they faced, Mavs were not that much of underdogs like Pacers team are. Dirk was legit #1. Going into playoffs, people wouldn’t have ranked anyone on Pacers top 15 in league.

Hali was 3rd team All-NBA for the 2nd season in a row. That is literally the definition of top 15.

[CoP]

I hesitated to bringing this up earlier because it's such a miniscule sample size, but the potential chink in the OKC armor was their poor record in close games this season. They have been such a dominant team that it was easy to ignore, but now we are seeing it in this series. The Pacers are like a well honed knife in close games, having experienced and come out on top in so many of them these playoffs. The Thunder haven't and it has shown in Games 1 and 3