Game 1 Gut Check: Postmortem on Thunder’s Loss and Pacers’ Resilience

In a stunning Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers delivered a comeback for the ages, erasing a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to shock the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor. Despite entering the night as heavy 9.5-point underdogs, the Pacers proved they’re never out of a game.

Thunder Dominate Early But Can’t Pull Away

Oklahoma City seemed in control for much of the night and appeared poised to cruise to a win, looking every bit like the 68-win juggernaut they’ve been all season. Early in the game Indiana looked rattled, turnover after turnover for a team that finished 3rd in the league at protecting the basketball. OKC forced 25 Indiana turnovers and took advantage of sloppy ball movement, yet never fully broke the game open. 25 turnovers are the most in an NBA Finals game in the last 25 years. Even with an 18-4 turnover edge at halftime, OKC led by only 12.

Indiana’s Resilience Shines Through

Indiana weathered the storm and leaned on their resilience, something that’s become a theme throughout their postseason run. The fourth quarter was their stage again, as the Pacers went on a series of late runs to chip away at the Thunder’s lead. With under ten minutes to play, they were still down double digits, but a 12-2 burst brought the deficit to four. Another push brought it to one with under a minute left.

Haliburton Delivers in the Clutch

Oklahoma City had a chance to seal the game with the ball in the hands of the MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but his late jumper bounced off the back rim. Indiana didn’t call a timeout, opting to attack the Thunder's unsettled defense. Tyrese Haliburton, already establishing himself as one of the most clutch players this postseason, pulled up and drained a game-winning three with 0.3 seconds left.

Another Signature Moment for the Pacers

It marked Indiana’s fourth game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds of a playoff game this year. Halliburton continues to deliver in critical moments, and the Pacers are now a league-best 8-1 in clutch-time games this postseason.

Carlisle’s Group Embraces Underdog Role

Rick Carlisle’s group, widely considered overachievers, played with toughness, composure, and confidence. Multiple contributors stepped up in key stretches, Myles Turner’s steady interior play, Andrew Nembhard’s huge fourth quarter, and Indiana’s refusal to break despite repeated turnovers all helped them pull off the biggest Finals comeback since 2011.

Thunder’s Late-Game Decisions in the Spotlight

The loss raises real questions for Oklahoma City. Despite their elite defense, they couldn’t get stops late. The decision to sit Isaiah Hartenstein and Holmgren in favor of a smaller lineup left them vulnerable on the glass and inside. The move here is to try and negate the hot shooting from Indiana. The Pacers had it going from deep and Daigneault tried to take that away.

Indiana’s Shooting Continues to Be a Game-Changer

The Pacers are 13-0 in the playoffs when shooting above 36% from three. After finishing the regular season 9th in three-point percentage, Indiana leads all playoff teams at over 40% per Jared Durbin. While Cason Wallace and Caruso added perimeter defense, the Thunder’s changes had little impact on Indiana in the 4th.

Still No Need to Panic in OKC

Now the adjustments will kick in for what some consider the real start to the series ... Game 2. Daigneault has options and we will see how he deploys those. Even with all that, this isn’t panic time for OKC. The series is just beginning, and they’ve been in this position before. But if Game 1 is any indication, Indiana’s execution and work rate will make these Finals far more competitive than the odds predicted.