This year is the 50th anniversary, believe it or not, of the release of an AC/DC classic that includes this lyric: “It's a long way to the top, if you want to rock and roll.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder has positioned itself for a chance to be at the top of the basketball world, but I’m concerned now that these young guys are showing signs of physical and psychological fatigue.
Berry Tramel: Thunder's uninspired, sloppy play hands Indiana Game 3 victory
Game 3 was an OKC slopfest. During a 116-107 Pacers victory in Indianapolis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored only 24 points for a team that is accustomed to him scoring 34.
SGA seemed physically spent during the fourth quarter. Overall, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player finished with only nine buckets and six turnovers.
However, SGA’s sub-par performance was not the primary reason for OKC’s two-games-to-one deficit in the series.
People are also reading…
When Oklahoma City prevailed at home in Game 2, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins combined for 38 points. The Thunder bench totaled 48.
In Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Thunder bench was dominated by its Indiana counterpart.
NBA Finals Thunder Pacers Basketball
T.J. McConnell and his Indiana Pacer teammates defeated Oklahoma City in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Game 4 is played on Friday night. Abbie Parr, Associated Press
Caruso scored eight points. In 9½ minutes, Wiggins was scoreless. Indiana had an alarming 49-18 advantage in bench points.
I’m concerned now, in advance of Friday night’s Game 4, that the Thunder might be running on fumes.
And perhaps, for the first time, there might even be a confidence deficit.
With regard to being a difficult venue for visiting teams, Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is considered to be the equal of OKC’s Paycom Center.
During an ESPN “First Take” segment on Thursday morning, Magic Johnson said, “OKC, talent-wise, is better than the Pacers.”
Host Stephen A. Smith responded, “If (the Thunder loses) this game, they lose the series.”
In advance of Game 4 — the most significant, consequential game in the 17-season history of pro basketball in Oklahoma — the Thunder for the first time during an incredibly lengthy season might have less collective confidence and belief than their opponent.
If Oklahoma City does stumble again on Friday, there would be the challenge of needing three consecutive victories to successfully rally from a three-games-to-one series deficit and do what it has been expected to do for several months — capture the NBA title.
In NBA history, only the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers recovered from a 3-1 Finals deficit, and they prevailed over a much better team than the 2025 Pacers. The 2016 Cavs conquered the 73-win Golden State Warriors.
NBA Finals Thunder Pacers Basketball
With a Game 3 loss on Wednesday, Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder trails Indiana two-games-to-one in the NBA Finals. Michael Conroy, Associated Press
Absolutely, as AC/DC’s Bon Scott sang in 1975, it’s a long way to the top. Even for supreme athletes with young legs, it’s a grueling marathon.
The Thunder opened its preseason schedule on Oct. 7 — five days before the OU-Texas football game.
The Thunder opened the regular season with an Oct. 24 road win over Denver.
During that same week, there was Game 1 of the Dodgers-Yankees World Series. The Bixby football team routed Mustang while Owasso remained unbeaten with a four-point win over Edmond Santa Fe.
The OU football team lost at Ole Miss. Oklahoma State lost at Baylor.
When the Thunder launched its 2024 regular-season schedule, the football Sooners and Cowboys still had four games remaining in their regular season.
Only 77 days before Bixby faces Owasso in the first big game of the 2025 Oklahoma football season, the Thunder remains engaged in its 2024-25 season.
If OKC responds on Friday as it did in a huge Game 4 road test in the second-round Denver series — with great defense and a series-tying victory — there would be a momentum shift that probably would lead to a Thunder championship.
But I’m with Stephen A. Smith on this one.
If Friday night does not go well, the Thunder seems doomed.
The 2025 NBA Finals would always be remembered as having been a major upset and a sickeningly wasted opportunity for the Oklahoma City organization.
0 Comments
Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter
Sent weekly directly to your inbox!