4 things OKC Thunder must do to win Game 2 against Pacers in 2025 NBA Finals

USA Today

4 hours ago

4 things OKC Thunder must do to win Game 2 against Pacers in 2025 NBA Finals
The 2025 NBA Finals is only a game old, but the Oklahoma City Thunder have already found themselves cornered. Tyrese Haliburton shocked the NBA world when he drained a Game 1 game-winner to give the Indiana Pacers the early 1-0 series lead.
All the pressure of the world is on the Thunder already. After being viewed as the heavy title favorite, they enter Game 2 in a must-win scenario. You can't afford to fly across the country on the road in a 0-2 deficit. That would put them at risk of being on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in league history.
Here are four things the Thunder must do to ensure they leave OKC with a 1-1 series tie:
Stick to your Game 1 starters
The Thunder threw a curveball before the batter even reached the batter's box. They abandoned their double-big lineup in favor of a more traditional starting five. Cason Wallace started over Isaiah Hartenstein for Game 1 of the series. The sudden lineup change was met with approval.
But then the result played out. The Thunder lost a heartbreaker. They were killed on the boards. In a results-oriented business, expect fans to double-guess your moves with the benefit of hindsight. That said, the starting lineup successfully achieved its goal of creating perimeter disruption.
The Pacers committed 25 turnovers. 17 in the first half. The tight ball-security squad looked lost against the Thunder. That stat should've been enough to secure a Game 1 win for OKC. Instead, an abnormally bad transition offense destroyed that advantage and allowed Indiana to hang around.
You have to stick with Wallace. The plan worked. Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard were relatively quiet for the first three quarters. This was the lineup that won the Thunder their two games against the Pacers in the regular season. You can't overreact and return to Holmgren-Hartenstein or risk messing up the team's mojo.
Complete steal-and-score sequences
Throughout the first three quarters, everybody had the same lingering thought in the back of their mind. The Thunder had a double-digit lead, sure, but they should've blown the game wide open by halftime. 25 created turnovers is an unreal number that likely won't get matched again. But only 11 points scored off them nullified the advantage.
The Thunder learned their lesson the hard way, just like the Bucks, Cavaliers and Knicks. You can't give the Pacers hope. After Williams' transition dunk gave OKC a 15-point lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter, it felt like that would've been enough to squeeze by with an ugly win.
Nope. The Pacers stayed within striking distance. Unreal shot-making by Indiana's role players flummoxed the Thunder. Nembhard looked like prime James Harden when he shook Gilgeous-Alexander off him for a stepback 3-pointer.
The Thunder only had half measures with their bread and butter. All year, they've buried their opponent on the scoreboard with avalanche runs snowballed by steal-and-score sequences. They only did the first half of that against the Pacers. That wasn't enough.
Williams, Holmgren bounce back
For all the overanalyzing of a weird Game 1, you can simplify everything back to Williams and Holmgren. Gilgeous-Alexander had 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting. It was one of the most dominating NBA Finals debuts ever. The MVP winner did enough to secure a win.
But Williams and Holmgren no-showed. And you can't win playoff games if two of your three best players disappear. Williams had 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Holmgren only had six points and six rebounds. That's rough. For comparison, the Pacers had an even-scoring attack with six players in double-digit points.
This has been a theme in most of the Thunder's playoff losses this year. Williams and Holmgren struggle. Gilgeous-Alexander does his best to carry them to the finish line but falls just short. They will need both to be a lot better in Game 2. OKC can't afford just flashes. It needs a consistent four quarters.
SGA has first signature NBA Finals moment
Despite all the Game 1 talk that followed the next two days, none of this would matter or be discussed ad nauseam if the Thunder scored one extra bucket. Such is life in the NBA. A one-point loss puts every small mistake under a microscope.
For Gilgeous-Alexander, it's his missed mid-range jumper with 11 seconds left that would've put the Pacers in a tough spot. Instead, his attempt hits the rim and sparks Haliburton's game-winner and Indiana raced down the floor in the final seconds without a timeout.
While Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player with 38 points, it wasn't on his usual efficient volume. He earned his points the blue-collar way with tough shot-making. He only went 7-of-8 on free throws. It's a little ridiculous on the surface to ask for better, but that's the standard the MVP has set for himself over the last three years.