For the first time in nine years, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
The Pacers dropped consecutive games for the first time this postseason to fall into a 3-2 deficit ahead of their final home game of the year, but Indiana answered the call with its season on the line, dominating its way to a 108-91 win over the Thunder.
It was a night to forget for Oklahoma City, who did not look the part of a team that was one win away from an NBA title. The Thunder came out of the gates firing, and their night peaked with an early 8-2 lead. Things went downhill from that point forward.
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OKC lost the first quarter for the first time this series and entered the halftime break trailing by 22 points. That deficit ballooned to 30 points by the end of the third quarter, prompting head coach Mark Daigneault to wave the white flag and pull the Thunder’s starting unit.
While it squandered an opportunity to win a title Thursday, OKC now has an opportunity to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in front of its home fans in Game 7. Here’s why the Thunder should — and shouldn’t — be worried about the task at hand.
MORE THUNDER-PACERS GAME 6:
Why the Thunder should be worried about Game 7
Indiana seemed to have figured something out with their performance in Game 6.
As noted by Indiana basketball expert Caitlin Cooper, the team dialed down its full-court pressure and instead employed more pressure in the halfcourt. The result was a very stagnant — and sometimes ugly — Thunder offense.
In the first half, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15) and Jalen Williams (16) combined to score 31 points on 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) shooting, but the rest of the team was held to 11 points on 5-of-17 (29.4 percent).
Speaking to the offensive stagnancy, OKC assisted on just three of its 17 field goals, and the team shot an icy 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) from 3-point range.
And while those numbers could be viewed as being anomalies, they were a repeat of the same issues of the flaws that plagued the Thunder throughout Game 4, a game they somehow found a way to win.
The Pacers have a blueprint to follow, and Game 7s are historically ugly games that require a team to grind out a victory. Indiana may very well be better equipped to grind out wins in ugly ways, something it has done all postseason.
Game 6 could be a sign that OKC’s good fortune has run out, and a reminder that Indiana seemingly has an endless amount of it.
Why the Thunder shouldn’t be worried about Game 7
They’re returning to the confines of the Paycom Center.
No, the Thunder should not expect a win to be gifted to them — and they certainly won’t see the Pacers lay down — but OKC’s home-court advantage is very real. It’s even in the numbers.
This season, the Thunder posted a 35-6 home record, and during the playoffs, they’re 10-2, with both losses coming after unlikely late comebacks. Even in this series, OKC has been a completely different team at home than on the road.
After shooting 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) from deep in Game 6, the Thunder will finish the Finals shooting 21-of-68 (30.9 percent) from 3-point range on the road. At home? OKC is 39-of-98 (39.8 percent) in the series, a stark contrast over the same three-game sample size.
It’s far from a given, but the Thunder will look to count on improved play from role players when the series shifts back to Oklahoma City. Game 6 stats are murky due to the Thunder’s decision to throw in the towel after three, but the team did not get what it needed from Alex Caruso, who was minus-33 in the box score, Aaron Wiggins, or Cason Wallace.
On the topic of being much better, Chet Holmgren cannot play any worse than his four-point, six-rebound performance in Game 6. He’s looked the part of a young player figuring things out, but he’s far too talented to continue to struggle at this level.
Above all else, the Thunder have the best player in the series. Gilgeous-Alexander is on the precipice of completing one of the greatest individual seasons in league history, and it’s largely because he has stepped up each time his team needed him most.
As the game wound down, a poised Gilgeous-Alexander looked ahead to Game 7 being “for all the marbles,” and he’s one player you can trust when the stakes are at their highest.
If nothing else, the Pacers’ run of incredible surprises has to end at some point, right? Game 7 has the ingredients to be an instant classic.
