Pacers open 8.5-point underdogs in Game 7 of NBA Finals: 'I think it's disrespectful'

Indianapolis Star

4 hours ago

The Indiana Pacers have been an underdog in every game of these NBA Finals. And that won't change heading into Sunday's Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
The Pacers opened as 8.5-point underdogs, a staggering number for a Game 7.
"Everybody has counted out the Pacers," ESPN's Jay Williams said on Friday's 'First Take.' "They're one of the biggest underdogs in Finals history."
"I don't think they're counting them out now," responded Stephen A. Smith, who actually predicted the Pacers would win Game 6 to force a decisive game in OKC.
Indiana's superpower: Pacers do something that's never been done in NBA playoffs
Game 6 reaction: 'This is Hali spitting in the face of narratives.'
"Not now, but 8-and-a-half! It's 8-and-a-half! That's eight and a hook in the NBA Finals after you just smacked the team by 17, you're up close to damn near 30," Williams said.
'First Take' host Molly Qerim then asked: "Do you think that's disrespectful?"
"Yeah, I think it's disrespectful," Williams answered.
"It's reality," former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas interjected.
"Well, reality can be disrespectful too," Williams said. "... I agree with you. On paper, they should be smacking Indiana. I believe that. But they're not. Now, we're in a 3-3 Game 7 scenario. Pressure for the MVP, going back home, in your own hometown territory, with guys like J-Will, guys like SGA, we're comparing to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. I mean that's a lot of pressure on a young basketball team."
"I think Game 7 is going to be a thriller," Smith said Friday. "I don't think it's going to be a blowout. I think it's going to be tight. I think that, here's what I'm thinking: When I watched OKC in Game 1 have a 15-point lead and ultimately blow that, I watched them throughout the playoffs, and there are two times where they just lag offensively. They can't seem to get anything going, but they know how to neutralize you defensively. Indiana, to me, with Rick Carlisle I have faith that he'll figure out a way to produce enough offense where it gets tight when the fourth quarter is here.
"I think this is one of those situations, ladies and gentlemen, where it's going to come down to the ball in SGA's hands and the Haliburtons of the world and whoever you want to pick, the point is I think it's going to be close in the fourth quarter. I'm not saying that OKC is not going to pull away because I still believe in them. But I think come fourth quarter time, midway through the fourth quarter, we going to be within five points of one another. It's going to come down to the wire, and cats are going to get tested. And when you take into account that you're relatively young and it's a Game 7, y'all know this better than me, palms get sweaty, stuff gets tight, and you don't know how somebody is going to react to a Game 7 of an NBA Finals. The championship is on the line. The slightest mistake can cost you everything. If you've played awful at moments in other games, why the hell should I assume that you might not play awful in those moments. I think it's going to come down to the wire."
"Do you think OKC has the potential to fold? I don't believe it will happen, but they do have that potential, and if I'm Indiana, I want to keep it tight. Why? Because I'm saying to myself, 'We can get 'em. We can get 'em. We don't give them that cushion, if it's tight and they're like damn this is Game 7 on our home turf, we just got blown out in Game 6, these cats still here, it's a three-point game, there's four minutes left, three minutes left, ahhh damn.' Listen, if I'm Indiana, that's what I want. That's the kind of moment I want. And we'll find out. I still would go with OKC, me personally, but if I'm Indiana, I want that."