OKCEAL Team Six Hunts Down The Haliban! | Official Thunder (#1) vs. Pacers (#4) 2025 NBA Finals Thread

[Tres Leches]

pacers keep getting around that 111 mark they usually win when they hit that target dont see them scoring less at home

 

[superchoops]

The Pacers have been overachieving. They should have lost to the Knicks. It's no knock to them and much respect because they won it. But anyone with eyes can see OKC is just all around a better team. I know people love the hot takes after the game but Indy stole one and it's more OKC lost than Indy won. I don't see the Hali as a superstar that other see. He consistently disappears in way too many games. That's why all the other players called him overated. They see it too.

while i think they were overachieving, i don't think they should've lost to the Knicks

OKC turned it on vs Denver and has rarely turned it off. They're just at a higher level than any team i think the East could've produced this year

 

[Art Barr]

Man stop it. This has been his style his entire time in Indy.

He’s just not naturally aggressive.

This game.

After the game winner in game one. You don't usurp leadership from said player.

Rick need to stop the 80 celtic mindgames. That again...only ric and bill laimbeer figured out.

Even danny ainge succumbed to the shyt. As a darling two sport white athlete.

That to subject this pacer team to. Will need to be addressed.
if the pacers lose. As this thunder team is not more dangerous than the heatles. If csrlisle loses this.
It means bron and the heatles lost that finals. Not they were beaten by carlisle. Carlisle was just there. to reap rhe benefot of bron and the heatles self destruct.

Art Barr

 

[the artist known az]

The Pacers have been overachieving. They should have lost to the Knicks. It's no knock to them and much respect because they won it. But anyone with eyes can see OKC is just all around a better team. I know people love the hot takes after the game but Indy stole one and it's more OKC lost than Indy won. I don't see the Hali as a superstar that other see. He consistently disappears in way too many games. That's why all the other players called him overated. They see it too.

The Knicks got exposed and they panicked in the front office like they did on the court. Brunson may need to play off the ball more at times.

As for the finals going forward, Indy will need the luck of 3s falling to win another game. Indy definitely can't go another game giving up all those turnovers

 

[Liberalspeed34]

Just got back from the game.

OKC controlled the game again. Game 1 was some fluke sh*t similar to Denver game 1. J Dub still hasn't shot well. OKC moved the ball well, and only had issues when there was too much Shai ISO. Thunder should never adjust to another team. When you are the best team everyone should adjust to you.

Aaron Wiggins was huge, and Caruso went off offensively. Good team effort.

 

[Scaaar]

while i think they were overachieving, i don't think they should've lost to the Knicks

OKC turned it on vs Denver and has rarely turned it off. They're just at a higher level than any team i think the East could've produced this year

Oh I already knew that whoever was coming outta the east was losing to OKC from the jump. The only team that could have been decent comp was Boston but they decided to shoot 120 3s and blow Tatum's Achilles out...smh

But OKC just has a better overall team and IND doesn't have anyone that can get consistent points when they need it like SGA can. I was just annoyed listening to the so called sports experts talk like IND actually has a chance and they get paid to analyze these games. They even have Hali and undeserved nickname outta it too. If he didn't hit that shot they would be crushing him right now. He literally played the exact game tonight he did game 1. He just hit that game winner and flipped the narrative lol

 

[Scaaar]

The Knicks got exposed and they panicked in the front office like they did on the court. Brunson may need to play off the ball more at times.

As for the finals going forward, Indy will need the luck of 3s falling to win another game. Indy definitely can't go another game giving up all those turnovers

Them corner 3s kept it competitive in the 1st qtr. But once OKC locked in it got spooky real quick.

 

[the artist known az]

Oh I already knew that whoever was coming outta the east was losing to OKC from the jump. The only team that could have been decent comp was Boston but they decided to shoot 120 3s and blow Tatum's Achilles out...smh

But OKC just has a better overall team and IND doesn't have anyone that can get consistent points when they need it like SGA can. I was just annoyed listening to the so called sports experts talk like IND actually has a chance and they get paid to analyze these games. They even have Hali and undeserved nickname outta it too. If he didn't hit that shot they would be crushing him right now. He literally played the exact game tonight he did game 1. He just hit that game winner and flipped the narrative lol

Like I said before, his team gets them back in the game he hits the buzzer beater and everyone talks about him

 

[Tribal Outkast]

Don’t see OKC losing another game especially with how they lost game 1. I’d be surprised if this series goes past game 5

 

[Oldschooler]

Everyone talking about Indiana needing to be better and Hali not being aggressive need to talk more about how do the pacers defend. They've done a terrible job defending overall both games. I think the obvious strategy is to stay home on everyone and make Shai go iso and beat you 1 on 1 the whole game. Challenge him to go and get 50. Im not even joking. When that happens all of the thunder guys get frozen out. They're most dangerous when shai gets 28 or 30 and everyone starts hitting 3s.

 

[BrehWyatt]

I wish he realized it.

When OKC goes on those runs, he is more than capable of getting a bucket or 2 to stop it, but he wants to drive and kick for 40 minutes

He's a distributor first, though. So that's going to happen. He isn't the type that's just gonna go out and give you 30 a night. It's clear that to be a superstar in today's NBA, you've got to put the ball in the hole first and foremost.

It's like watching Steve Nash back in the day. He shot well enough that if he felt like it, he could've easily averaged 25+ a night. But the team was better off with him as a floor general who got everyone involved. Same thing with Denver and Jokic. He could probably average 35+ if he felt like it, but the Nuggets are not a better team in the long run with him being a scorer first.

Indiana's biggest strength -- besides Haliburton taking a clutch-time shot -- has been that it can be anyone on any given day that leads the charge on offense. Now the thing that got them to this point is suddenly their biggest weakness.

 

[Tres Leches]

i expect 2-2 game 5 would decide it

 

[Primetime]

Indy def only has so many ways to win a game. They won't have 30 TOs like in G1 most times, but it's pretty clear their guards can't create easy O for the most part. The wings/bigs gotta be the focal point in a way they usually aren't. Siakam is one thing, but these dudes dead needed Turner pull ups to keep it within 15-20 for the longest. Bryant and Obi were getting up more shots than Nembhard, TJ and Tyrese for a minute there.

Losing basketball right there

OKC coughin up game 1 definitely gave IND a puncher's chance, but a lot of fukkery would have to happen.

Conventional thinking would've had this a 5-game series, with OKC pretty handidly winning all their home games and splitting on the road. That IND got a freebee road win without having to play their best ball yet / i.e. they're still due a god-tier 3 point shooting night, is great for them.

Unfortunately for them, OKC doesn't play like NYK; they have hiccups but mostly they don't beat themselves with dumb decisions on offense or cluelessness on defense. These double digit deficits will start to feel more like death sentences if IND can't figure out a way to keep pace

 

[Primetime]

Switch it how? They don't have the defense to stop OKC, so their only chance is to try and outscore them by getting hot.

 

[BrehWyatt]

Don’t see OKC losing another game especially with how they lost game 1. I’d be surprised if this series goes past game 5

I can see Indy winning game 5 just on some "Don't get eliminated at home" type of shyt.

I give Indiana all the credit in the world for getting to this point, and full credit for getting game 1, but as mentioned ... a LOT had to go right for the Pacers, and a LOT had to go wrong for OKC for that to happen. From watching the last two games, they just seem overmatched. OKC's perimeter defense is way too strong, and they seem to have no answer for SGA.

Now, I could very well be wrong and Indiana goes gangbusters at home. But if this is how all the games are gonna play out, OKC's taking this home in 5 or 6.