OKLAHOMA CITY — The Indiana Pacers were greeted by a determined, aggressive and undoubtedly desperate opponent Sunday in a crucial Game 2 of the NBA Finals. And yet the Oklahoma City Thunder were the second-biggest concern for the Pacers.
The bigger roadblock? History. Only two teams opened the championship series by winning Games 1 and 2 on the road, so the mathematics and the odds of joining the 1992 Bulls and ’95 Rockets were more intimidating than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pulling up for a mid-range jumper.
The Pacers did pull off this trick against the Cavaliers and the Knicks before arriving here. But there would be no such repeat this time, not with OKC issuing a stern response to losing Game 1, subsequently delivering a thorough 123-107 victory that was emphatic from the start and — get this — all the way through to the finish for a change.
This was a four-quarter flex by the Thunder, a more fitting performance by a team that won 68 times in the regular season, lost only once to an Eastern Conference team and just once at home this postseason. When it was over, the flavor of the Finals suddenly shifted, as it often does in these situations, if only until the next game.
Did the Thunder just gain command of the series? Or are the Pacers, by virtue of gaining a split in OKC, sitting pretty with the next two in Indianapolis?
1. OKC’s response was championship-like
From the tip until it was time to go home, the Thunder stayed locked in. There was no deadly and careless stretch that cracked the door open for the Pacers. When the Thunder win games convincingly, it’s mostly due to defense. Such was the case all season, through the playoffs and now in the Finals.
“I just thought we were the aggressor tonight for much of the game, even when we had a lead,” said coach Mark Daigneault. “I thought the guys did a really good job of keeping the foot on the gas, especially defensively. I thought we really amped it up on that end of the floor.”
True enough — the Pacers were handcuffed when the game mostly mattered, in the first half; Indiana shot sub-40% then and also didn’t dominate the rebounding as in Game 1 and therefore didn’t get extra shots. No Pacer managed to score 20 points.
This was the same OKC effort from the conference semifinals against the Nuggets, when the Thunder fell behind 1-0 and 2-1, only to recover quickly the very next games. It was the necessary reaction of a team unwilling to allow its forceful season to slip away.
That seven-game series helped this young OKC team grow up. And the lessons learned then were applied in Game 2 of the Finals.
2. Indy has no response to the response
With 3 1/2 remaining in the game and the lead at 21 points, the Thunder had all starters on the floor. Which seemed odd … but this is Indiana they’re playing, a team with a habit of rallying and making opponents uncomfortable in these situations.
So OKC played it safe, and smart. Except the Pacers never answered the bell. When the fourth quarter began, they trailed by 19. Halfway through the fourth, they were down 20, and with two minutes left, 18.
That’s because OKC remained relentless. The Thunder scored 30 points in the quarter and never relaxed. This was the closeout they needed, the killer instinct the game demanded.
Meanwhile, the Pacers couldn’t establish a run or force Daigneault to rip through multiple timeouts, searching for answers. Then, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle did something … strange: He emptied the bench with four minutes left. Strange, in that it went counter to Carlisle’s pattern in these playoffs, where he kept his best players on the floor so the Pacers could fight until the end. Essentially, he waved the white flag, for once.
It made for an awkward sight: Shai squaring up against the likes of Johnny Furphy, if only for a moment. But Carlisle knew the deal.
“Sometimes you have to make tough decisions,” he said. “That was an easy one.”
3. Haliburton gives too little, too late
This clutch-worthy Tyrese Haliburton postseason romp was interrupted Sunday by a tendency that has also followed him — giving a mildly-impactful performance where he seemed meek and didn’t attack ruthlessly.
Such was the case in Game 2 when Haliburton just … drifted. He took only seven shots through the first three quarters, when the Pacers failed to generate buckets and gradually fell deeper into a hole.
That’s the challenge for Haliburton, to strike the right balance between passing and shooting. Well, in this game, Indiana could’ve used the latter.
Only in the fourth quarter did Haliburton realize the urgency and situation and finally showed some bounce and energy. He shot six times in the quarter, when he scored 12 of his 17 points. By then, the Pacers were swallowed by a double-digit deficit and those shots were from desperation and did no damage.
He is, by nature, a pass-first point guard, not a volume shooter, which has served him and the Pacers well to this stage. By involving teammates early, Haliburton allows them to set the table, and he becomes the closer. It worked to perfection in Game 1.
Three nights later, it backfired. Carlisle mentioned the Pacers’ “ecosystem” which depends more on Haliburton’s passing and ball movement. “People shouldn’t just look at his points and assists and judge how he played … that’s not how our team is built,” Carlisle added. “We’ve got to score enough points to win the game, but who gets them and how they get them, not important.”
For a team that, aside from Pascal Siakam and Haliburton, lacks a volume scorer, Indiana could use more points from both — especially against this relentless defense.
Haliburton agreed: “I have to do a better job of figuring out where I can be better. I think through the course of the series or through these first two games, I’m learning where my spots are and where I can be better.”
Haliburton is most dangerous when he’s equally a threat shooting and passing. By deferring heavily, he gave OKC a break.
4. Wiggins helped win this for OKC
When Daigneault went to his bench in Game 1, he pulled a surprise, giving Ajay Mitchell, a rookie, some burn. And it didn’t go very well; Mitchell seemed frozen by the stage, missed three shots in his four forgettable minutes and returned to the bench for good.
There would be no costly and chilly performance this time — not from Mitchell, whose three minutes were confined to garbage time, and most importantly the bench, which once again became a source of strength for OKC.
And specifically, Aaron Wiggins. Because the Thunder are blessed with depth, playing time can fluctuate, depending on the game and the opponent and whatever strategy is being cooked by Daigneault. This time, the coach pressed the right button by calling Wiggins’ number.
Wiggins showed starter-like effort and production by constantly punishing Indiana whenever given the chance. He had 18 points with four rebounds. Wiggins saw only nine minutes in Game 1.
“He was a huge part of our success during the season and in the playoffs his role has been variant,” acknowledged Daigneault, who added that Wiggins “was massive tonight.”
Also, Alex Caruso made the Pacers pay for disrespectfully leaving him open from deep and shot 4-for-8 from range, scoring 20 points (second to Shai) and was – as is typical – a pest defensively. Both Caruso and Wiggins outscored any Pacers player. That was a sure sign of doom for Indiana and spelled victory for OKC. All told, the Thunder generated 48 points and 22 rebounds from the reserves, a hefty supply of help that kept the lead swollen.
“Caruso and Wiggins shot it well,” said Carlisle. “They caused other problems. They ran it well. They made plays. They got a great feel to cut, and they hurt you in a lot of different ways.”
5. Lastly, don’t forget about Shai
The beauty and the wonder of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is how he gets his points no matter the opponent, game, defense thrown at him or situation. Carlisle said it perfectly after Shai dropped 34 points in 36 minutes:
“You can mark down 34 points before they even get on the plane tomorrow, you know, for the next game. The guy’s going to score. We’ve got to find ways to make it as tough as possible on him.”
He now has 72 points through two games and if not for a rare mid-range misfire in the final 11 seconds of Game 1, OKC could have a 2-0 lead. Andrew Nembhard is doing a credible job, in a sense, against Shai and the reigning Kia MVP is still managing to deliver 30-pieces.
The difference Sunday? He was more efficient, and pressed the gas in the third quarter with 12 points in the period, and also reached the free throw line 12 times, making 11. And when Indiana pressed him, he found teammates, enough to get eight assists.
“It just shows his willingness to create for other guys,” said Wiggins. “Obviously everyone sees the points and how easy it may be for him to get 30, 40. When he’s sharing the ball, getting other guys involved, that’s when our team is at our best. Credit to him for playing the game the right way.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
Source: NBA.
