The 2024/25 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is at its end, but not before a pivotal Game 4 last Friday, June 13, when the Indiana Pacers made all the right plays, had the Oklahoma City Thunder on the ropes, preparing for the knockout, then some ominous dark clouds appeared, and there was a thunderstorm in Indiana. The win would have put Indiana up 3-1 in the series and a near-automatic death sentence for Oklahoma City as that margin has only been overcome once in NBA Finals history — the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers — but the Thunder somehow manufactured a win and wrestled home-court advantage back in their favour.

For the first time in the series, Indiana led after the first quarter, 35-34, and Oklahoma City was lucky to be down only three points at half-time (57-60). The Thunder were 1-of-10 from 3-point range and had just six assists against eight turnovers in the first half, but 16 free throws kept them within striking distance. The third quarter was also won by the Pacers (27-23), but their lead evaporated in the fourth, knocking the enthusiastic wind from the crowd inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse and sending Thunder-nation into a frenzy.

Oklahoma City took Game 4, 111-104, the first-ever road playoff win for the Thunder, behind 35 points from the NBA and Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and 27 points from his fellow All-Star Jalen Williams, while Alex Caruso contributed 20 points from the bench, along with so many hustle plays that will not reflect on the stats sheet. SGA scored 15 of the Thunder’s last 16 points on 3-for-3 shooting and made all eight of his free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, a feat which hadn’t been done since Michael Jordan in the clinching Game 6 of the 1998 Finals. Additionally, the 15 points were the highest by a player in the last five minutes of a Finals game, and his 14 clutch points were also the highest in a Finals game on record.

SGA, along with a top-ranked Thunder defence, lived up to the pedigree they built all season, at a time when it was desperately needed. They won the game despite going just 3-of-17 from 3-point range and committing more turnovers (16) than they had assists (11), even with only two assists in the fourth quarter. The newly minted league MVP, surprisingly, had no assists for the game, for the first time since August 2020, but made every play his team needed him to make in crunch time, including scoring 11 of their last 12 points in the last three minutes.

In the fourth quarter, the Pacers were 5-of-18 from the field, for 17 total points, and missed all eight of their three-point attempts, plus managed to score only one point in the last three minutes. The rebounding effort also went cold as they were bettered 4-12, over the last 12 minutes. Pascal Siakam, Indiana’s leading scorer with 20 points, was shut out in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard combined for 1-of-7. Only Tyrese Haliburton, who scored eight of his 18 points in the final frame, generated any semblance of offence for the Pacers in the closing moments.

The Thunder, heavy JustBet favourites to win the finals months prior to the end of the regular season, evened the series at two games and headed home for Game 6 on Monday, June 16. The series took on a different complexion but, while they played the contest at home, the memory of Haliburton’s Game 1 heroics must have loomed large. Additionally, the winner of Game 5, following a 2-2 series tie, has a historic series-winning percentage of 74, which made the game critical for both teams.

Shell-shocked by the late Game 4 collapse, the Pacers entered Paycom Center with the knowledge that they did it once and therefore could do it again. Initially, the script looked similar, with the Thunder leading by as much as 18 points, the Pacers, who have excelled throughout the playoffs with their unbelievable comeback performances, cut the deficit to just two points with 8:30 left, 95-93, but this time around, the home team found solid footing.

Oklahoma City forced eight turnovers in the final 12 minutes — 22 total for the game — while only bungling the ball once in the same stretch, committing 11 total for the game. Williams had a brilliant outing, finishing with a playoff career-high 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting from the field, including 3-for-5 from the three-point arc. SGA added 31 points, 10 assists, two steals, and four blocked shots in the 120-109 win. He was the league’s scoring champion this season, and he has led the team in scoring in all but four of their 21 playoff games this year, but with Indiana’s defensive attention focused on him, he played more like a traditional point guard, finding an open or cutting Williams for most of his 40 points. And with that result, SGA registered the most games with 30-plus points and 5-plus assists in a single postseason (12), more than LeBron James, who has achieved 11 three times — 2018, 2017, and 2015 — and Jordan, who did 11 twice — 1990 and 1989.

Haliburton, who was reportedly struggling with calf tightness in his right leg, had only four points, shooting an unforgivable 0-for-6 from the field. However, with the Indiana bench outscoring the Oklahoma City reserves in the third quarter, 20-0, the Pacers scraped their way back into the game, and visions of Game 1 started to reappear. In the fourth quarter, the Pacers outshot the Thunder from the field, 66.7 per cent to 42.3 per cent, and from beyond the arc, 60 to 50 per cent, but the Pacers attempted only 15 field goals while the Thunder took 26 shots. Pascal Siakam, who had 14 of his team-high 28 points in the final 12 minutes, lacked the help required to lead his team to another miracle win.

With that result, the Pacers lose back-to-back games for the first time since March 10 and trailed in a series for the first time in these playoffs. The result also made it their seventh loss this postseason when failing to score over 110 points. And while the victory did not guarantee the Thunder lifting their first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy, it certainly improved their odds. The MVP recently said, “I relish those moments, love the moments, good or bad.” Thankfully for the Thunder, they have enjoyed a lot more good moments than bad in these play-offs.

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