Skeptics could be forgiven for believing, even for a moment, that the Pacers were again laying the groundwork for a monumental comeback in hostile territory. Following Pascal Siakam’s trey that upped his tally to 12 points in the first three and a half minutes of the final quarter, the deficit that once stood at 18 points was down to two. The stage was set for an upset, never mind the alarmingly passive showing from point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Such notables as T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, and Obi Toppin were gamely making up for the lost production, to the chagrin of the 18,203-strong crowd at the Paycom Center.
As things turned out, the Thunder had more than enough in their bag to overcome the challenge. With the usual suspects leading the charge, the hosts made sure there would be no repeat of their monumental Game One collapse; they buckled down and leaned on the very identity that marked their remarkable 2024-25 campaign. They swarmed the ball, collapsed on screens, and contested every shot — all trademarks of their historically stout defense. At one point, they forced four straight turnovers from the typically cautious Pacers; the outstanding coverage enabled them to double their advantage to 16 with five minutes and change left in the payoff period.
As had been the case in Game Four, the Thunder’s cause was spearheaded by offensive stalwarts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. For all the scheming and swarming of the Pacers, they managed to put up a whopping 71 markers between themselves. The Most Valuable Player awardee became just the fourth player ever to score 30 or more points 15 times in a single postseason. Meanwhile, the All-NBA selection wound up being the fifth youngest player to put up 40 in a Finals outing. They were simply too good, too relentless, to be slowed — let alone thwarted — yesterday. Evidently, they were bent on leaving with a triumph on their homecourt.
Now, the onus is on the Pacers to return the favor at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Their imperative for Game Six cannot be clearer and the task may well be Sisyphean — especially since taking care of business just means they get to force a do-or-die affair on the road. Then again, they’re no strangers to adversity. In fact, they thrive in it. Whether or not Haliburton is bothered by right calf tightness anew should be beside the point. It’s win or go home for them. The Thunder may be waiting, but destiny does as well.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.