Why Charles Barkley thinks NBA Finals Game 4 is 'D-Day' for Thunder vs. Pacers
How important is Game 4 of the NBA Finals? A few NBA experts believe the Oklahoma City Thunder's season is on the line.
Charles Barkley said on NBA TV that Friday night's game is "D-Day" for them.
"That's their season. If they get down 3-1, they're not going to win the series," Barkley said. "If it's 2-2, they go back to being a favorite. But Friday night is their game."
The original D-Day, June 6, 1944, is when U.S. and allied troops stormed Normandy Beach in France and, against tremendous odds, gained ground against the Germans, turning the tide of World War II.
The Indiana Pacers beat the Thunder 116-107 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Indiana shocked OKC in Game 1 with a fourth-quarter rally, and the Thunder won Game 2 convincingly.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst also said postgame that he believes the Game 4 winner takes the championship.
Get NBA Finals Game 4 tickets at StubHub
Game 4 is 8:30 p.m. ET Friday, June 13, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Pick up Pacers NBA Finals gear from Fanatics
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
When will Caitlin Clark return from injury? Here's what we know about the Fever star
When will Caitlin Clark return from injury? Here's what we know about the Fever star Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been out since May 24 with a quad injury. Clark has missed the last five games. As she approaches nearly three weeks without playing basketball, it begs the question: When will she return for the Fever? Unfortunately, her timetable for return isn't immediately clear. The Indiana star was re-evaluated around June 8 and has been allowed to begin certain aspects of practice. However, head coach Stephanie White has not indicated when Clark (or guard Sophie Cunningham, who has also been out with an ankle injury) will return. On Thursday, she shared a somewhat positive update on their recent activity. MORE CAITLIN CLARK: Caitlin Clark hit the Pacers' choking celebration at NBA Finals Game 3"We limited their reps," White told the media. "Really try to see if [we could] get them up and down the floor a little bit. Start to try to get into a game rhythm. Game speed. Game pace. Timing a little bit off. Rhythm a little bit off, but continuing to try to work them in as much as we could." The Fever have gone 2-3 in Clark's absence, and have tried to supplement what she brings to the team with help from veteran guard Syd Colson and hardship contract player Aari McDonald. However, it's hard to replace that kind of impact, and the journey without her could continue to be up and down. The Fever play the New York Liberty on Saturday, June 14, before trudging through a three-game slate during the week of June 16. Indiana will play the Connecticut Sun at home on June 17 and then travel to play the Golden State Valkyries (June 19) and the Las Vegas Aces (June 22).
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Another Georgia football commit shuts down his recruitment
Another Georgia football commit shuts down his recruitment The Georgia Bulldogs are getting closer to knowing who will sign with them in the class of 2026. Four-star safety Jordan Smith has announced he is shutting down his recruitment, according to Hayes Fawcett. Although Smith had originally planned to take official visits with Florida State and Tennessee, this news suggests he will more than likely sign with the Bulldogs during or after the early signing period. Smith has already committed to Georgia. Smith is a four-star safety from the class of 2026. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back plays football for Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Georgia. He is the No. 56 prospect and No. 6 safety in the nation, according to 247Sports. Smith committed to the Georgia Bulldogs on May 11 and the seventh-best recruit in the Peach State. The Georgia Bulldogs' 2026 class is chock-full of elite secondary recruits. Four-star safety Zech Fort was the first to commit on Jan. 30. Then, three-star safety Kealan Jones committed on Apr. 12, the same day as G-Day. After Smith committed on May 11, four-star cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick, who is the brother of All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, committed on June 3. Smith is the third player in Georgia's signing class to conclude his recruitment, joining Fitzpatrick and three-star wide receiver Brady Marchese, who have also shut down their recruitment. Of course, there's nothing stopping these players from changing their minds later down the road. It is still a long way away from December's early signing period. After a slow start in the recruiting cycle, during which Georgia only had five commits by April, the Bulldogs have ramped up their recruiting efforts. According to 247Sports, Georgia now boasts the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the nation. UGA has the SEC's best class of 2026.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What do we know about the Boston Celtics trade talks with other NBA teams?
What do we know about the Boston Celtics trade talks with other NBA teams so far this offseason? As the 2025 NBA draft draws closer by the day, we are hearing an increasing amount of chatter about what the Celtics front office has been doing on the trade front as they likely look to offload salary ahead of a potentially historic payroll and tax bill. But it is also the time of the league calendar where one can find a lot of rumors about trade plans coming from parties trying to influence the outcome of deals for their own interests, so all things percolating up about Boston's trade plans should be taken with several grains of salt. The folks behind the "NBA Front Office" YouTube channel put together a clip from their show talking over what they have been hearing about the Celtics. Advertisement Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about what we're hearing about Boston trade plans, and plenty more on that front from around the NBA. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: What do we know about the Celtics trade talks with other NBA teams?
