Pacers comeback in series to force Game 7

Mandate of Heaven is back in play.

By: Samson Folk I @samfolkk

The opening featured a good bit of Tyrese Haliburton feeling out where his comfort zone was on ball, and to little effect, with a little bit of Aaron Nesmith grenade BLOB catches mixed in. A slow start on offense as they started 0-8 from the field before Pascal Siakam hit a jumper. Nothing too bad on defense really, but Jalen Williams had carried over the juice he’s had in the three previous games and continued to outfox Nesmith in the opening run of play. Neither team played their best ball, but the Thunder found an early 6-point lead en route to a Rick Carlisle timeout. 

An absolutely brilliant stretch from Siakam and Andrew Nembhard, who combined for 13 quick points (out of the Pacers 15), while also providing sterling defense - shot the Pacers out from way behind and back into a 3-point lead. Once those two turned the tide, a run of quick decisions, quick triggers, and made jumpers — led by T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, and capped off with a Haliburton triple — sent the Pacers up seven. It was a rush of offense that they hadn’t gotten since Siakam’s surge at the start of the 4th quarter in Game 5. A 22-7 run. 24-17, Pacers. 

The sprint to end the quarter was an unfortunate one for the Pacers. They continued to time up their rotations extremely well on Gilgeous-Alexander to show more resistance, and with Nembhard glued to him; but they left about four layups on the rim, which obviously robbed them of points, but also allowed the Thunder to operate in early offense and to climb back and close the gap to 3 before the buzzer went with an 8-2 run. 

McConnell time has become a near religious experience the past couple games, and his opening to the second quarter was sublime. Having to counterpunch against the star duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams — who continued to twist, wind, and explode for buckets in the lane — isn’t easy for max players, and yet McConnell had an answer each time - and from the mid-range. His play allowed the Pacers to eat a Thunder surge and to come out on the other side with a Haliburton pull up triple and a Bradley put back to go up eight. 

The Pacers pressed the issue further, smothered the Thunder on defense (by playing off the frontcourt) and picked up a couple Nesmith triples to blast off to a 13-point lead, and then a 16-point lead after Siakam drove Hartenstein deep into the paint and shoveled a handoff to a cutting Nesmith for an And-1. The starters (sans Myles Turner) unrolled an absolute tidal wave of dribble creation and shot creation to close the half as they extended the lead to 22 points behind a tremendous steal from Haliburton that preceded a slick no look pass to Siakam, who posterized Williams. The next time down, Siakam took a pinch post action on Caruso and hit a fader to close the half. The run before that included triples from Haliburton and Nesmith. 

On the defensive end, it was the very same process that fueled all of their best stretches of the series: show bodies, force the ball out, and rely on the Thunder frontcourt to fail to take advantage. It was very fruitful, as the Thunder’s star duo danced and dazzled to the tune of 31 points at half, and got 11 points from the rest of the roster combined. 

If the Thunder wanted to storm back, they’d need to ratchet the ball pressure way up on the defensive end, and get more from their tertiary guys on offense. They started Caruso to start the second half to help accomplish the former. 

It was an absolute rock fight to start the second half as both teams combined for 8 straight missed shots and nearly 4 minutes of scoreless basketball. A super slick possession from Haliburton — get the big in the air, give and go, layup — broke the seal. A Turner dunk, and a Sheppard run out after that put the Pacers up 28. 

Hartenstein checked in and came loose for a lob. He hit free throws after being fouled in the open court the next time down as well. A bit of momentum. The Thunder threw zone. McConnell drove middle and found Toppin for a triple the first go round. A string of whistles and slow play allowed the Thunder to keep grinding ahead, climbing back a little bit as they upped the physicality and tested the Pacer resolve as they cut the lead to 18 points. A pretty tough stretch of play with both Siakam and Haliburton on the bench. 

Siakam checked back in, and the Pacers broke off a 15-3 run that included a triple from each of Siakam, Toppin, and Sheppard - who hit a buzzer beater after Siakam tapped a rebound out to him. A 30-point lead for the Pacers heading into the 4th. 90-60. Pandemonium. 

It didn’t take long to reach the point in the fourth where the Thunder emptied their bench. Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams were running pick n’ rolls for them in the Finals. The creep toward the finish had begun, and Game 7 was front of mind for everyone. 

That’s right. After all the whining that talking heads did about this Finals in the run up - it has cemented itself as an absolute classic. A crashing together of wildly different, inventive styles, and to the tune of 7 games. An absolute treat for basketball fans. Maybe not narrative fans, but basketball fans. 

They kept everyone healthy. They kept everyone fresh. The stage is set. 

A classic series deserves a classic end. See you Friday, as Caitlin and I discuss how the Pacers took this one. See you Sunday, at the death. 

Have a blessed day.