Oklahoma City Thunder squares off with Indiana Pacers in 2025 NBA Finals
The 2025 NBA Finals are finally here as Oklahoma City Thunder face the Indiana Pacers. Host of Front Office Sports Today, Baker Machado, reports on the highly anticipated NBA Final.June 5, 2025
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NBC News
11 hours ago
- NBC News
The pressure is on the Thunder, but Oklahoma City has been here before
Game 1 of the NBA Finals could have been an especially crushing defeat for a young Oklahoma City Thunder team had they not dealt with nearly the exact same scenario earlier in these same playoffs. On Thursday, the Thunder led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter before they became the latest group to succumb to an improbable Indiana Pacers comeback, losing by virtue of a Tyrese Haliburton pull-up jumper that fell through the net with 0.3 seconds remaining. The loss was eerily similar to Game 1 of the second round, when Oklahoma City led the Denver Nuggets by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, but ultimately lost because of an Aaron Gordon 3-pointer that sank with 2.8 seconds remaining. Both games were largely dominated by the Thunder. And both times they lost after subpar late-game execution and game-winning shots coming on broken plays. 'The playoffs take you to the limit,' Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said after Game 1 when asked if Thursday's loss was reminiscent of the Nuggets game. 'They put your back against the wall, in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on.' Thunder forward Jalen Williams put it more bluntly: 'It sucks, but we have been here before.' He added: 'Regardless, if it's the finals or Round 1, Round 2, you still have to win four games. We'll take that and be ready for Game 2.' How Oklahoma City adjusts for Game 2 will be interesting. The Thunder, particularly defensively, did many things right Thursday. They forced the Pacers into 25 turnovers. They limited the scoring and assist opportunities for Haliburton, who was quiet before his final basket, finishing with 14 points and six assists. Even when you concede that Oklahoma City was not crisp offensively (the team shot only 39.8% from the field and assisted on only 13 field goals), the Thunder still did not trail until 0.3 seconds left in the game. One adjustment is a lever teams pull in the postseason all the time: Play better, especially when desperate. Oklahoma City is no stranger to this. The Thunder haven't lost back-to-back games in the playoffs, and they followed up that Denver loss with a 43-point victory in the series' next game. Another option for Oklahoma City will be to return to its normal starting lineup. Notably, the Thunder pre-adjusted to Indiana on Thursday, swapping out starting center Isaiah Hartenstein for guard Cason Wallace to match up better with the smaller, quicker Pacers. As a result, both Hartenstein and big man Chet Holmgren had smaller roles in the rotation, each playing fewer minutes than their playoff average so far. 'We've been pretty fluid with the lineup throughout the course of the season,' Daigneault said. 'Cason started 40-something games. We changed the lineup a million times. We haven't in the playoffs. That's why we do it during the regular season, so that it's not earth-shattering when we do it.' He added: 'We'll see how the series goes. We have a lot of optionality. We'll look at everything. We'll look at anything we can to try to give ourselves the best chance to win.' Oklahoma City's new starting five ultimately outscored the Pacers by only 2 points in 16 minutes in Game 1. Meanwhile, Hartenstein and Holmgren didn't share the floor together for a single possession. Whatever the Thunder decide to switch up (if anything) for Game 2, they did not seem overly distraught after such a shocking defeat Thursday night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even offered a similar refrain to what he said after the Game 1 loss to Denver. 'The series isn't first to one, it's first to four,' the MVP said, before adding: 'It's that simple. It's not rocket science.'
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jay-Z places staggering bet on NBA Finals... but it's already on the brink of losing
Jay-Z wagered a million dollars on the Indiana Pacers and Oklhaoma City Thunder's NBA Finals showdown - and it's off to the worst start imaginable. Fanatics Sportsbook revealed hours before Game 1 on Thursday night that the rap legend had placed $1million on Oklahoma City - who destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals - to get past Indiana in five games. Yet thanks to the brilliance of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, he now needs the Thunder to win four consecutive games. In the dying minutes of Game 1, Haliburton nailed a game-winning jumpshot right at the death to seal a 111-110 victory and move the Pacers 1-0 ahead in the series. Jay-Z therefore needs the Thunder to win four straight games in order to win back a total of $3.3million. If they suffer just one more defeat, his seven-figure bet will be lost. Oklahoma City did enter the NBA Finals as overwhelming favorites after cruising past the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets as well as the Timberwolves to make it to their first championship series since 2012. JAY-Z bets $1 Million on OKC to win in 5 @RocNation @RocNationSports @Fanatics — Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) June 5, 2025 They led by 15 points at one stage of the fourth quarter against Indiana on Thursday night, only for the visitors to pull off a sensational comeback at Paycom Center. Haliburton's 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave the Pacers their first and only lead of the game as they stunned the Thunder in a comeback for the ages. 'Man, basketball's fun,' Haliburton said. 'Winning is fun.' The Pacers turned the ball over 25 times and trailed by a significant amount in the fourth quarter against a team with the best home record in the NBA, while they also had no answers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - the NBA MVP who led all scorers with 38 points. But they had the league's new Mr. Big Shot in Haliburton, who has now had one of these moments in every series the Pacers have played in the playoffs this season.
The Independent
20 hours ago
- The Independent
Pacers stun Thunder after dramatic last-second comeback
Tyrese Haliburton's late basket secured a 111-110 victory for the Indiana Pacers over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Pacers led for only 0.3 seconds, but Haliburton's basket marked the latest game-winning shot in an NBA Finals game since Michael Jordan's throw against Utah Jazz in 1997. Haliburton emphasised the team's resilience and determination to fight until the end, regardless of statistical disadvantages. Coach Rick Carlisle orchestrated a 15-point fourth-quarter comeback, the largest in a Finals game since 2011, attributing it to the team's experience and perseverance. Carlisle highlighted the team's focus on chipping away at the lead and capitalising on opportunities to secure the win.
