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

[Jadoogar]

Chets box score looks pretty good but I thought he looked completely outmatched physically

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[HotelVitale]

The Pacers having 13 steals and 11 blocks is insane.

McConnell was the secret mvp. He changed the game

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Eh Mathurin was the not so secret MVP, he kept them close when the Thunder were threatening to open up the lead.

5 steals that I think all led to easy buckets is hard to argue against. And TJ got Mathurin at least a couple buckets off his drives. But no need to pit them, both got them through rough patches that OKC could've used to blow the game up.

[Chuck Everett]

So the questions regarding how the young Thunder would play on the road in a close game with the championship on the line remains a legit concern, even if the media just completely glossed over it.

Not sure anyone really played poorly tbh. To me, the offense was fine but it looked more like the refs didn't allow OKC to grab, hug, and foul Indy all night long.

They're still playing .500 ball (4-4) on the road in the playoffs and giving up an average of 115ppg. If they want to win the title, they are going to have to win a close game. Will their squinting coach be able to help them in those butt-clenching moments? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Nuntius]

So did Indy just not try in the regular season? What explains their mediocre 50 win total?

Horrible start fueled by injuries to all of our defensive wings and season-ending injuries to both back-up centers.

Exactly. Bryant was never supposed to see the floor. He and Bradley are 4th and 5th string Centers.

Yeah, they weren't on the roster at the start of the season. We traded for Bryant in mid-December and we picked up Tony Bradley early March on 10-day contracts.

[Jazz9]

History heavily favors the Pacers

[Raps in 4]

I remember talking heads talking about the Pacers putrid title odds at the season mid-point and how betting on them to win the title at that payout would be smart.

Obviously they sounded like idiots at the time, but imagine being a gambler and missing out on this opportunity. Like missing out on bitcoin. (potentially)

"Siakam doesn't move the needle. Dumb trade by the Pacers"

"Haliburton is a top-30 player at best. He can't lead a team past the first round"

"No way Indy beats Giannis"

"No way Indy beats a 60-win Cavs team"

"No way Indy outdogs/outclutches the Knicks"

"OKC in 4"

[Marvin Martian]

What is Mathurin's contract situation? Dude may played his way into a near max deal

[guynumber45]

The spooky thing is I still feel like the Pacers haven't had one of those games where they just go berserk from behind the arc

[TinmanZBoy]

The Pacers are two wins away from a championship.

I mean I've just never seen a team like the Pacers be two wins away from a title. This is crazy lol such a unique team

Definitely the 04 Pistons for the new gen.

That team was Rick’s team until Brown picked cherry on top

[SpurNani]

Late game ChOKC strikes again.

Extremely beatable team if its close game late. Pacers still havent played what I consider their A game yet. If that happen in game 4, they will be the champs.

[Dirk2Doncic]

OKC has an insane amount of talent, but the amount of dog they've got in them is very questionable.

I think they're overrated. Yes, they could end up winning the series.

SGA is a scoring machine. I'm not highly impressed with anyone else.

Defense in general is overrated.... as if there aren't other teams that can get stops in playoff basketball. Pacers did it plenty tonight.

LOVED this game tonight! Pulling for the Pacers!!!

[Wingy]

Still the series is far from over though, game 4 is going to be massive.

100

Hope we get to enjoy 7!

[mademan]

OKC seems like frontrunners if I'm being honest, they don't look good in crunch time.

Other than SGA, no one seems like they can create any offence.

I'm going to be so impressed with SGA if he ends up pulling off a championship with so little creation around him

Who can create on Indy? Difference is that Indy's coach has an offensive game plan that has guys always moving, allows guys to attack a moving defense off the catch. OKC's offense is watching Shai iso or sometimes JDub iso while spreading the floor with shooters. It can look good when the shots go in, but in comparison, it's ugly offense.

[picc]

I remember talking heads talking about the Pacers putrid title odds at the season mid-point and how betting on them to win the title at that payout would be smart.

Obviously they sounded like idiots at the time, but imagine being a gambler and missing out on this opportunity. Like missing out on bitcoin. (potentially)

"Siakam doesn't move the needle. Dumb trade by the Pacers"

"Haliburton is a top-30 player at best. He can't lead a team past the first round"

"No way Indy beats Giannis"

"No way Indy beats a 60-win Cavs team"

"No way Indy outdogs/outclutches the Knicks"

"OKC in 4"

I mean at this point I'd expect Indy to go 7 with the dream team somehow.

[Optms]

Put some respek on INDY

I've been telling you all OKC was beatable when they allowed a much inferior Denver team take them to 7. They are lacking something mental. Can they still win? Yes. But they aren't the world beaters you all make them to be.

[DaGawd]

so the knicks lost to the champs. interesting

[kulaz3000]

I think OKC lost those finals in game 1. In a vacuum I think we are the better team but Pacers at home are better than Thunder on the road so I don't see us coming back from this deficit. Pacers is six is the likely outcome.

You can't see the Pacers coming out of a 1 game deficit? I can easily see the Thunder winning the next game, and even if the Pacers were to win game 5, take the following 2 games. This going to be a long drawn out series, and this is what the fans deserve if they are true basketball fans. Yes, no big market team, but these are really fun basketball games being played and the league and the fans alike should embrace this series.

I'll be surprised if this series doesn't go to game 7. It's a coin toss every game.

[Marvin Martian]

Chets box score looks pretty good but I thought he looked completely outmatched physically

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Weird take considering that OKC has been good with him on the floor and putrid with Wallace

[Chuck Everett]

Chets box score looks pretty good but I thought he looked completely outmatched physically

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He was great in the first half, bad to poor in the second. Meanwhile Daigs went small again and got destroyed on the boards late. They were winning the glass by a wide margin before the 4th.

[GrandTheftRondo]

OKC don’t belong in the same convo as Boston last year.

Indiana has been unreal but OKC’s offence has been very hard to watch.