2025 NBA FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4 Indiana Pacers (Series tied 1-1)

[bisme37]

Game 2: Sunday June 8th, 8pm ET on ABC





Continued from here: https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2461536

[bisme37]

This was Tyrese Haliburton’s 4th game-tying or game-winning shot in final 1.3 seconds of 4th quarter or OT in these playoffs. All with Indy down.
One in each series: Game 5 vs. Bucks (1.3 seconds left) Game 2 vs. Cavaliers (1.1 seconds) Game 1 vs. Knicks (4th Q buzzer) Game 1 vs. Thunder (0.3 sec)
No player has made more than 2 of these shots in one postseason going back to the 1997 playoffs, according to @basketball-reference.com (that’s as far back as they go). Haliburton doubled that already.
Source: Mike Vorkunov Bluesky

Since the NBA began tracking such data in 1971, teams were 0-182 in the Finals when trailing by 9+ points in the final three minutes.

The Pacers made that record 1-182
Per NBA.com

Read on Twitter

[KazuoOda]

Not sure how people are still counting out the Pacers.
We've seen this song and dance the last couple of rounds.

Maybe it's just their year.

[UcanUwill]

Graphic designers here putting more work than actual tv presentation. Come on, put Larry O'Brien back on NBA court during finals!

[phanman]

Indiana is THE definition of doing it fully as a team. 6 guys in double figures with all of them attempting at least 9FGA with Pascal leading the pack at just 15. In comparison to the Thunder who had just 4 guys with SGA (30) and Jdub (19) accounting for just over half of their 98 FGA.

I think if your going to rely that much their star duo to carry the offense, you need to start Hartenstein not Chet to take advantage of his screening ability to create space.

[UcanUwill]

I believe next game, Pacers will still be wearing these yellow jerseys, while OKC will be wearing blue jerseys of theirs, which should be more pleasing to the eye IMO, watching yellow vs white was kinda weird, you want one jersey to be dark and one to be bright, or am I alone here?

[Andri]

IMO we saw 2 games in one, first half and second half.

Indiana adjusted greatly in the second, and it showed. OKC should have taken this one because I don't expect another 20 TO's half from Indiana.

Remember, the key difference for OKC in offense are points off TO's. If they get an average number (league average), their offense is just average. And of that happens, the battlefield is leveled.

Also, MD used one bullet with his starting line up adjustment. Now, tactically, Carlisle is one step ahead, as expected. OKC is still the favourite though.

Finally, I saw the inexperience and a bit of panic last 2 minutes, OKC side, both from the team and the crowd.

So, to sum it up, I think we have a series.

[Andri]

On a side note, ESPN made a terrible job bringing excitement to that iconic ending. Picture yourself watching a video like the one NBA released just before the game, with the comments we got yesterday, and compared to other legendary moments.

[jowglenn]

GOD IS A PACERS FAN

HE MADE THE BALL GO IN

[sp6r=underrated]

I'm torn. I don't believe teams can throw away playoff games but also believe Oklahoma City is markedly better than Indiana. The talent gap is still big enough that the Thunder will win it but they can't toss away another game.

[76ciology]

They let Ind won G1 just to make it look like they have a chance.

[flow]

I believe next game, Pacers will still be wearing these yellow jerseys, while OKC will be wearing blue jerseys of theirs, which should be more pleasing to the eye IMO, watching yellow vs white was kinda weird, you want one jersey to be dark and one to be bright, or am I alone here?

I think there was enough contrast. I had no trouble with it and I'm color blind. Those who have been following the Pacers are used to it. They're wearing the same yellow jersey every game, home and away.

[bisme37]

I saw a comment on another site that said, "The other team is scared to lose, but the Pacers are not scared to win."

Seems like Pacers opponents keep looking at the matchup and thinking they are better than Indy and going to win. Then they have a lead in the 4th and it confirms their belief that they are better and going to win.

Then Indy starts their comeback and game pressure mounts, and the other team starts playing not to lose instead of playing to win. And the Pacers feel super comfortable in those spots and play their best ball down the stretch. It's probably not very shocking anymore haha.

[UcanUwill]

I believe next game, Pacers will still be wearing these yellow jerseys, while OKC will be wearing blue jerseys of theirs, which should be more pleasing to the eye IMO, watching yellow vs white was kinda weird, you want one jersey to be dark and one to be bright, or am I alone here?

I think there was enough contrast. I had no trouble with it and I'm color blind. Those who have been following the Pacers are used to it. They're wearing the same yellow jersey every game, home and away.

I wouldn't say I had real problem, but I think one darker jersey will make it better. Remember 20 years ago I was in the hospital, and in the ward we had a very very old, small screen black and white tv, and I tried to watch Soccer game on it. And to me, one team wore grey and the other team wore slightly different grey lol, and they were playing on grey field, but even then I adjusted and by the end I didn't even notice I was watching two grey teams play. But hey, we get accustomed to comfortable things, and blue vs yellow should be a little better. I watch game on my computer screen, I do not use large TV, and I usually go to my bed to watch, so there is some distance, my eyes got really bad, so I will take a litle bit more distinct jerseys.

[Chuck Everett]

I'm torn. I don't believe teams can throw away playoff games but also believe Oklahoma City is markedly better than Indiana. The talent gap is still big enough that the Thunder will win it but they can't toss away another game.

In every game that Jalen and Holmgren are anything less than all-star caliber, the Thunder are susceptible to losing. I hate to make it that simple, but Shai is going to score, flop and get fouled. He's not a variable.

In every loss this playoffs, it has happened this way. My concern with them is I just don't feel as comfortable in a crunch time game that their team offense will be better than the Pacers. Daigs has his work cut out for him. Thunder lost that game on offense, not defense.

[bb22]

This feels like the 2001 finals, where Eric Snow and AI willed the team to a massive upset in game 1. However, OKC doesn’t have that championship pedigree like that insane Lakers squad. I think Game 2 is a certain win for OKC, which makes Game 3 the ultimate decider in this series. I can just as easily see the Pacers winning Game 3, and the series going 7, as I can seeing OKC just winning 4 in a row.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I saw a comment on another site that said, "The other team is scared to lose, but the Pacers are not scared to win."

Seems like Pacers opponents keep looking at the matchup and thinking they are better than Indy and going to win. Then they have a lead in the 4th and it confirms their belief that they are better and going to win.

Then Indy starts their comeback and game pressure mounts, and the other team starts playing not to lose instead of playing to win. And the Pacers feel super comfortable in those spots and play their best ball down the stretch. It's probably not very shocking anymore haha.

Ironically, we’ve seen the Pacers do the same thing when they have the lead. Once they were up by 20 or whatever in game 3 vs the Knicks, they completely abandoned what got them the lead and started trying to run the clock down. Led to a bunch of bad shots in the final seconds of the shot clock and a massive comeback for the Knicks.

[FlatearthZorro]

Not sure how people are still counting out the Pacers.
We've seen this song and dance the last couple of rounds.

Maybe it's just their year.

I really like this Pacers team. I think it would've been a helluva series if the Cavs were healthy- health is a HUGE part of the game(2nd outside of talent and cohesiveness, imo).
I got the Pacers in 6.

[Winterfrost]

I've seen enough, pacers in 4

[FlatearthZorro]

I'm torn. I don't believe teams can throw away playoff games but also believe Oklahoma City is markedly better than Indiana. The talent gap is still big enough that the Thunder will win it but they can't toss away another game.

In every game that Jalen and Holmgren are anything less than all-star caliber, the Thunder are susceptible to losing. I hate to make it that simple, but Shai is going to score, flop and get fouled. He's not a variable.

In every loss this playoffs, it has happened this way. My concern with them is I just don't feel as comfortable in a crunch time game that their team offense will be better than the Pacers. Daigs has his work cut out for him. Thunder lost that game on offense, not defense.

Williams has had some fairly pedestrian games.
OKC's offense is not that great, overall, imo. But their defense to me is one of the best, ever(which is huge in the playoffs).