2025 NBA FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4 Indiana Pacers (Series tied 3-3!)

[Fat]

Boring finals everyone knows OKC was winning this.

[kulaz3000]

Boring finals everyone knows OKC was winning this.

Tell me that you're a hater that hasn't watched basketball games, without telling me that you're a hater that doesn't watch basketball games.

[Fat]

Boring finals everyone knows OKC was winning this.

Tell me that you're a hater that wasn't watch basketball games, without telling me that you're a hater that doesn't watch basketball games.

I’ve been saying Indiana would not get past OKC since the Knicks vs pacers thread

SGA is simply different and OKC has athletic bodies to match the pacers and a better interior defense. I’m not surprised Hailburton looks regular this series

[KP Duty]

This series has been gritty with drama rivaling Chicago Hope. I'll be sad when it's over

[Wingy]

Thunder end the series in 6. Even with Haliburton being completely neutralized, the Nesmith/Jalen Williams matchup has become too big of a problem to be ignored. There are no more moves left for Carlisle unfortunately. With each passing game, Williams is getting better while Nesmith is getting worse.

OT, but goes to show size will always matter in basketball.

Nesmith went toe-to-toe with Brunson, and made Brunson look like Sisyphus pushing the rock uphill. That was a battle.

Now against a bigger JDub, Nesmith has been outmatched.

[Chuck Everett]

Thunder end the series in 6. Even with Haliburton being completely neutralized, the Nesmith/Jalen Williams matchup has become too big of a problem to be ignored. There are no more moves left for Carlisle unfortunately. With each passing game, Williams is getting better while Nesmith is getting worse.

OT, but goes to show size will always matter in basketball.

Nesmith went toe-to-toe with Brunson, and made Brunson look like Sisyphus pushing the rock uphill. That was a battle.

Now against a bigger JDub, Nesmith has been outmatched.

I've seen some people talking about Nesmith's ankle as an issue, but there's a strength advantage/wingspan advantage for Williams here that just totally negates all of Nesmith's strengths. His biggest strength seems to be guarding smaller guys at the point of attack, but whether its SGA or Dub, like you said, the sheer size they have allows them to just shoot over him or bait him into fouls, where they use his aggressiveness against him. Nembhard on the other hand, beats his man to the spot usually and then rarely bites on pump fakes. We understand that Haliburton is the weaklink defensively (and we have no choice but to live with it), but if our 3/D can't even make it difficult on our opponent, not sure what the fix is.

[GreenBloodedC]

Just get it to 7

[Black Jack]

OKC is bigger AND more athletic. But Pacers have it at least somewhat in question.

I don't get how people are upset at Halliburton, he got injured?

SGA, JDub, and Chet is a very tough big 3 to compete with without serious high end talent. I like Siakam but if he was a bigger guy it might be more competitive. Maybe if you swapped in AD or someone like that with size to at least challenge Chet, it would look more competitive.

Pacers role players are fun.

[fanofthegreats]

Is trashiburton ruled out?

Strike issued for non-stop baiting and hating. We tried talking to you about this and you haven't improved.

[jkvonny]

Boring finals everyone knows OKC was winning this.

OKC probably sweeps the Knicks TBH...

[bucknut]

Why is Indiana still going over screens at mid Court against a downhill team ? Carlisle getting outcoached . I absolutely do not believe in Jalen Williams if he can't get downhill and it feels like pacers should of seen that coming a Mile away with how game 4 ended.

Paul Pierce agrees

Read on Twitter

[bucknut]

Jmo but OKC support gone too much after one game. The turnovers transition difference, 3 point differential and nothing from hali or Turner and was a 2 point game ?
Id say thunder dominated this game about the way Indiana did in game 4.

Yes, most teams in a 2-2 that win game 5 go on to win the series. Except that didn't happen with Knicks and pacers last year.

At some point Carlisle has to stop letting these guys get downhill and at some point the 3 point variance that showed up vs denver will appear.

[Jordan45822]

Pacers win similar to the way Nuggets won game 6.

But game 7 will be a massacre.

[guynumber45]

With Halliburton seemingly injured now, OKC should close this one out in Indy rather easily. Impressive Playoff run by the Pacers with some really clutch finishes, but it's over. SGA inevitably wins FMVP. Then it's no more basketball for 4 months. Roll credits.

Read on Twitter

Disagree personally. I think the Pacers are one of the rare teams in the NBA that are capable of not only surviving without their best player, but thriving more so because it empowers other guys on the roster to create more. I think they will rally behind the home crowd's energy and force a game 7.

[guynumber45]

Why is Indiana still going over screens at mid Court against a downhill team ? Carlisle getting outcoached . I absolutely do not believe in Jalen Williams if he can't get downhill and it feels like pacers should of seen that coming a Mile away with how game 4 ended.

Paul Pierce agrees

Read on Twitter

Yeah it's a terrible defensive strategy at this point. The coverage on Jdub especially has been poor. They are allowing him to get downhill with momentum, drop the shoulder and either get a layup or that stepback jumper in the midrange he likes. I would personally play a deep drop and make him hit a bunch of jumpers

[metalinguss]

If Haliburton’s out can the Pacers give Caitlin a 1-day contract?

[Jailblazers7]

Pacers would be kinda crazy to play Halliburton, right? I’d maybe roll the dice in a game 7 but they can’t really mess around with a potential Achilles tear.

[Nuntius]

Indy has more overall Skill talent and depth and wins the series if not for one thing . SOFT

Now, that's just revisionist BS. Before the series, people were complaining about how lopsided the Finals would be because OKC was so much better than us. People had OKC winning in a sweep, 5 at most.

But we made it a series exactly because this team ain't soft.

[Chuck Everett]

Pacers would be kinda crazy to play Halliburton, right? I’d maybe roll the dice in a game 7 but they can’t really mess around with a potential Achilles tear.

If he's legitimately injured, then having him go against this defense would be malpractice, because it would only be hurting the other players on Indiana having to figure out how to carry a wounded man. And if he tears his Achilles, next season is washed as well.

Regardless, this series is a lesson that he can't keep avoiding the weight room. He's going to have to get serious about that. He doesn't have a Reggie Miller body either. He can put on muscle.

[slick_watts]

thunder have a negative eFG differential in this series (-.034). it's rare for a team to win a finals while losing the shot making battle. has only happened four times since 1995:

2021 bucks over suns (-.026)
2016 cavs over warriors (-.008)
2010 lakers over celtics (-.014)
1996 bulls over sonics (-.029)