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

[OxAndFox]

I still think OKC wins the series, but its far closer and an open series still, and if anything its OKC that needs to figure some things out. SGA going to need someone else to come with him. It's all too hard for them at the moment.

Like, not sure why more people aren't talking about the poor play of JW? He has been horrific outside of the charge circle.
Game 1: 0/6 & 1/4 3PT
Game 2: 3/6 & 1/5 3PT
Game 3: 4/10 & 1/2 3PT
Game 4: 3/9 & 0/3 3PT
Overall:
FG Mid - 10/31 .322
3PT - 3/14 .214
That's brutal from your #2. Like dude, you can't shoot the midrange shot, get downhill and stick to your strengths. Yeah he shoots better in the RS from mid, but in the POs he's been poor.
That's what is great about the Pacers. They know their strengths and stick to it. The number of poor shots from them, or more so, the number of shots a player takes that is out of their wheelhouse you can count on one hand. OKC on the other hand, not so much. The Thunder is a better team than the Pacers overall so its extremely close.

[LAvision]

Lakers FO should be fired YEARS AGO for letting Caruso go.

(and trading Zubac, and trading for brickbrook..).

Sigh.

FO had little to do with that move.

[KP Duty]

Caruso won them that game.

SGA was also clutch

[FarBeyondDriven]

I turned it off in the 2nd quarter because I knew the NBA wasn't going to allow the Thunder to lose. It's a shame this once great sport is now just barely more legit than the WWE. I'm happy to see others see this as well and the numbers of people realizing this is growing with each instance. This is why nobody should get too worked up over their teams or players. It's all theater like everything else.

[Chuck Everett]

I still think OKC wins the series, but its far closer and an open series still, and if anything its OKC that needs to figure some things out. SGA going to need someone else to come with him. It's all too hard for them at the moment.

Like, not sure why more people aren't talking about the poor play of JW? He has been horrific outside of the charge circle.
Game 1: 0/6 & 1/4 3PT
Game 2: 3/6 & 1/5 3PT
Game 3: 4/10 & 1/2 3PT
Game 4: 3/9 & 0/3 3PT
Overall:
FG Mid - 10/31 .322
3PT - 3/14 .214
That's brutal from your #2. Like dude, you can't shoot the midrange shot, get downhill and stick to your strengths. Yeah he shoots better in the RS from mid, but in the POs he's been poor.
That's what is great about the Pacers. They know their strengths and stick to it. The number of poor shots from them, or more so, the number of shots a player takes that is out of their wheelhouse you can count on one hand. OKC on the other hand, not so much. The Thunder is a better team than the Pacers overall so its extremely close.

He's only been brutal if you don't value defense at all. His PPG has been going up with each subsequent finals game as well. 17, 19, 26 and 27. Do you not see him destroying Nesmith on both ends?

[brutalitops]

LMAO @ this “incredible historic defense” which is really fouling and hacking all game.

It's a part of it. They are happy to do it to because it will lead to transition basketball and OKC are going to win 11/10 times if the refs are going to not call those 50/50 calls. It's a measured gamble to play to their strengths. Cause turnovers and run, if you are going to get quick 2 foul calls on a starter like Dort, you can plug in Caruso/Wallace without much loss and you start keeping your hands out. Playing double big as well you even have J will who can play more perimeter and really harass and cause more turnovers.

What I hate is that today, it's a little physical. That's fine. But then your calling some really late game calls, you have some undisciplined stuff like Nesmiths 5th foul. But his 6th I thought was really weak considering the physicality of the series so far

[Deathray]

Caruso did have 3 bad turnovers with two inbounds passes that got tipped and stolen and a completely dumbass attempt at a behind the back pass on a break.

[Bulliever2020]

SGA and AC were great but I am surprised no one is mentioning Chet. He made some absolutely huge plays in the 4th and toughed it out through a lot of physical play and nasty looking ankle turns. Deserves his props.

[Mrakar]

Indiana can only blame themselves for this loss, but man this stretch of 3 plays showed why everyone outside of OKC roots for Pacers. The Extender did his job.

Indiana was 101-97 and then these 3 plays happened:

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[jehosafats]

A 12 minute quarter shouldn't last over 30 minutes in real time.

I hate the way the NBA and their goons interject them self into the story.

Felt like the longest first half ever

[NBA_is_cringe]

I turned it off in the 2nd quarter because I knew the NBA wasn't going to allow the Thunder to lose. It's a shame this once great sport is now just barely more legit than the WWE. I'm happy to see others see this as well and the numbers of people realizing this is growing with each instance. This is why nobody should get too worked up over their teams or players. It's all theater like everything else.

are you kidding me? the NBA is very exciting, and full of legit superstars, in fact SGA might be one of the all-time greats! He's definitely better than any other player in the league. I'm about to buy his jersey because it's very exciting that we are witnessing greatness!

[metalinguss]

I turned it off in the 2nd quarter because I knew the NBA wasn't going to allow the Thunder to lose. It's a shame this once great sport is now just barely more legit than the WWE. I'm happy to see others see this as well and the numbers of people realizing this is growing with each instance. This is why nobody should get too worked up over their teams or players. It's all theater like everything else.

Well the fact that you turned it off early led you to the foregone conclusion that the Pacers won solely because of the refs. Mathurin’s stupid mistakes and Hali’s hero ball lost them that game.

[Jimmy Recard]

>Complain the game is soft
>Complain fouls aren't being called
>Complain the 90s was better because of physicality
>Complain OKC is too physical

Jesus make up your damn minds

Not to mention complain every year that there’s no parity and there’s always a big market team in the finals. Then when two small market teams make it, “it just doesn’t feel right this year somethings missing”

[OxAndFox]

I still think OKC wins the series, but its far closer and an open series still, and if anything its OKC that needs to figure some things out. SGA going to need someone else to come with him. It's all too hard for them at the moment.

Like, not sure why more people aren't talking about the poor play of JW? He has been horrific outside of the charge circle.
Game 1: 0/6 & 1/4 3PT
Game 2: 3/6 & 1/5 3PT
Game 3: 4/10 & 1/2 3PT
Game 4: 3/9 & 0/3 3PT
Overall:
FG Mid - 10/31 .322
3PT - 3/14 .214
That's brutal from your #2. Like dude, you can't shoot the midrange shot, get downhill and stick to your strengths. Yeah he shoots better in the RS from mid, but in the POs he's been poor.
That's what is great about the Pacers. They know their strengths and stick to it. The number of poor shots from them, or more so, the number of shots a player takes that is out of their wheelhouse you can count on one hand. OKC on the other hand, not so much. The Thunder is a better team than the Pacers overall so its extremely close.

He's only been brutal if you don't value defense at all. His PPG has been going up with each subsequent finals game as well. 17, 19, 26 and 27. Do you not see him destroying Nesmith on both ends?

I didn't say overall he's brutal, but you know that. That mid range game has been and its pretty easy to see. When he gets downhill and to the cup, yep he's great.
Tonight he got some FTs and made them, importantly, but outside of that, 18 points on 18 shots. Game 3 he's 7/11 FTs. Outside of his FTs he had 19 on 18 shots.
Sure getting to the line is part of the game and he's done that last 2 games, but it still comes back to his BRUTAL mid range game.
If JW was even semi efficient shooting mid range the series is over. Plain and simple.

[metalinguss]

>Complain the game is soft
>Complain fouls aren't being called
>Complain the 90s was better because of physicality
>Complain OKC is too physical

Jesus make up your damn minds

Not to mention complain every year that there’s no parity and there’s always a big market team in the finals. Then when two small market teams make it, “it just doesn’t feel right this year somethings missing”

Casuals on social media already naming this finals “worst ever” before it even started just because the big market teams and big names aren’t there and they won’t be able to post a lot of their clout-chasing content.

[Jimmy Recard]

Lakers FO should be fired YEARS AGO for letting Caruso go.

(and trading Zubac, and trading for brickbrook..).

Sigh.

Let Caruso go, Danny Green, Dwight…then traded KCP/Kuzma/Trez and a 1st for Westbrook. Wtf was Pelinka thinking???

[Chuck Everett]

Lakers FO should be fired YEARS AGO for letting Caruso go.

(and trading Zubac, and trading for brickbrook..).

Sigh.

Let Caruso go, Danny Green, Dwight…then traded KCP/Kuzma/Trez and a 1st for Westbrook. Wtf was Pelinka thinking???

Well, when you realize everything has been in service of Lebron, it all begins to make sense.

[Mrakar]

Scott Foster refed 4 OKC games, 2 blowouts vs Denver (game 2 when they were 1-0 down and game 7), 1 blowout vs Minny and tonights game. He is man on the mission this season. If Indy somehow manages to win one of the next 2 we will see him again either for game 6 or game 7.

[Onlytimewilltel]

They're just not going to call those push offs are they. sigh.

I mean they didn’t call them on Micheal Jordan either did they? They mostly don’t call them on star players and MVPs. Unfair but it’s been like this for a long longgg time

[KP Duty]

I turned it off in the 2nd quarter because I knew the NBA wasn't going to allow the Thunder to lose. It's a shame this once great sport is now just barely more legit than the WWE. I'm happy to see others see this as well and the numbers of people realizing this is growing with each instance. This is why nobody should get too worked up over their teams or players. It's all theater like everything else.

You missed an epic game. I see a couple of ref blamers on my college football boards. Toxic to the boards and the game.