Editor’s Note: These are not the most recent games in the NBA Finals.
Historically, when teams are up 2-1 in the NBA finals, they’ve won 81% of the time, so when wrapping up Game 3 of their best of seven versus Oklahoma City, the Indiana Pacers suddenly became the championship favorites in a series they were favored to lose.
Then Thunder struck.
After losing Game 3 in an environment that has waited 25 years to host a finals game, Oklahoma City rebounded from their nine-point loss and are now only one game away from clinching their first Larry O’Brien trophy since rebranding from the Seattle Supersonics in 2008 to the OKC Thunder.
Here’s how the Pacers went from historic favorites to underdogs once again.
Game Four: OKC rallies for a 111-104 win over the Pacers
Indiana’s reputation for the 2025 playoffs has been based on their improbable comebacks. Specifically, Pacer’s superstar Tyreese Halliburton’s knack for clutch shots.
Whether it was a series clinching layup versus the Milwaukee Bucks, a step back three for the win against the number one seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, a buzzer beater to force overtime against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, or a last second shot to steal Game 1 against OKC, Halliburton’s playoff performance has him tied with fellow Indiana legend Reggie Miller for the second most game tying or winning shots in the playoffs since 1997.
The person ahead of both Pacers is none other than Lebron James.
Indiana may have mastered the art of the comeback, but struggleed to stay in the driver’s seat. When leading by seven early in the fourth quarter, Indiana was outpaced by OKC.
Up to the fourth quarter, the Thunder’s chances were carried by the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and teammate Jalen Williams. Williams up to that point led the Thunder in points with 23, while Gilgeous-Alexander had not gotten double digit points in any quarter.
Despite missing early mid rangers and three pointers in the fourth, Gilgeous-Alexander was assisted by his 7-foot-1-inch teammate Chet Holmgren, whose putback shots contributed to tying the game at 89 a piece.
It wasn’t until there were only four minutes and 38 seconds left that the MVP would get points in the final quarter, but once he connected to his buckets, Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t look back.
The Thunder’s superstar snuck his way into the glass to notch in layups, picked up fouls to take multiple trips to the free throw line, and made his bed inside the perimeter, making critical midrange shots to put the game on ice.
Gilgeous-Alexander ended the quarter with 15 points, and the Thunder tied the series at two apiece. With momentum back on their side, the Thunder went back home, looking to e take control of the series.
Game Five: Thunder took the lead and never looked back with 120-109 win
The last time OKC played at home in the finals, they’d beaten Indiana by 16 points, yet the home crowd, along with the thunder, still felt the stench of Halliburton’s game winner in the series’ opener despite not leading throughout the entire game.
To avoid the chance of another comeback, this time Oklahoma City made sure to never take their foot off the brake.Gilgeous-Alexander alongside Williams continued to take control of the game as they did in Indiana. Gilgeous-Alexander still dominated in midrange shootings, and forced his way into the charity stripe, while Williams made 60% of his three-pointers.
The MVP finished the night with 31 points, and Williams with 40, making them only the second pair of teammates to have a 40- and 30-point performance in the Finals since 1980, joining James and Kyrie Irving.
Indiana kept it close throughout, as Pascal Siakam led the team in scoring with 28 points, and their bench produced on the back of TJ McConnell’s 18 points, but the Pacers were missing a playmaker.
All of Indiana collectively bit their nails as Haliburton headed to the locker room in the first quarter after reaggravating an ankle injury. He’d return a few minutes later, but with a wrapped calf. Last year, Halliburton was unable to compete in the second half of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics because of a hamstring injury. The Pacers were swept in that series.
Haliburton returned to Game five but had the worst playoff performance of his career. He’d be kept scoreless going into the second half and only netted in four points through the entire night, all of them being free throws. After the game Haliburton said, “It’s the Finals, I’ve worked my whole life to be here. If I can walk, then I want to play.” He proceeded to limp out of the press room.
The series returned to Indiana on June 19, with OKC now up 3-2, and hungrier than ever to claim a championship with their new identity.
Meanwhile, Halliburton’s status is still unclear, as the Pacers look to force the first seven games of the NBA finals since 2016.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is the multimedia editor for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected] or Instagram and X @sebastianpn8, and on LinkedIn @sebastianperez-navarro.
