Game 7 baby, Game 7.
The Indiana Pacers are here for a number of reasons in this incredible NBA Finals, as each chapter showed us something about the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder each time.
We’re here more because of what the Pacers did in Game 6, and in at least one case, what Indiana didn’t do.
The Pacers prided themselves on playing 94-feet of hell basketball for an entire season, but coach Rick Carlisle pulled the reins back on Thursday.
Indiana didn’t chase ball-handlers as soon as the ball came into play. Instead, they played more half-court defense and denied Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander easy buckets.
Sometimes clogging the lane is simple and effective plan when everyone’s working together.
“Yeah, they just turned us over a bunch. They didn’t pressure full court like they have been, which led to more turnovers. I didn’t expect that. But whatever it is, they did it right. If we want to win on Sunday, we got to take care of the ball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in his post-game press conference.
The Pacers helped each other when Williams or SGA tried drives, turning the paint into a gauntlet of wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tubemen, though they brought physicality along with their sea of hands. Indiana repeatedly closed the gates to the paint and asked the Thunder’s role players to make them pay. They did not, as OKC’s non-Jalen/Shai players were 18 of 46 (37.5%) from the floor on Thursday.
Not today.
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
T.J. McConnell hates your lazy passes.
The metaphorical shark in the water didn’t steal any inbounds passes but he still waited under the surface like a particular cinematic shark did 50 years ago. Steals are potential points off the board for opponents and scoring opportunities for your own team and McConnell’s lead to at least five of them for Indiana. The Pacers combined for 16 steals and 19 points off those turnovers.
McConnell wasn’t just opportunistic on defense. He was willing as the ball-handler to share as he led the team with six assists, but when there wasn’t an paint-to-great option, he took plenty of shots himself (6 of 12) to keep the Oklahoma City defense on edge.
TJMC ended the night with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.
The most popular recipient of those assists was Obi Toppin, who scored four times, all from deep. Toppin put up a strong 50% shooting overall, 4 of 7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc, along with 6 rebounds and two steals.
“It’s no surprise what T.J. does out there,” Toppin said of his teammate. “Any time he comes into the game, the crowd loves him, and he feeds off of that. He had a great start to the game, and it got us going. Brought juice into the game, energy into the game … I feel like he was a big part of this win today.
THIS MOMENT WITH T.J. MCCONNELL'S DAD 🥹
"I can't be more proud to say I have a son in the NBA and a daughter in the WNBA… this is a dream come true." pic.twitter.com/1ef0WiI8vj
— NBA (@NBA) June 20, 2025
McConnell put up a future car dealership in the greater Indianapolis type of night to lead the bench outscored their counterparts 19-3 in the first half to help Indiana effectively end the game before halftime.
“I think we played to exhaustion. But we have to do it again on Sunday,” McConnell said after Game 6.
Physical play at home, including Myles Turner
No, not like, James Johnson physical. More of simply giving the Thunder plenty of what they do themselves. Indiana toed the line but took advantage of friendly homecourt officiating to put force the Thunder to put much more effort into their offensive actions.
Myles Turner’s 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks won’t be remembered, but he did some little things to push the Pacers in the right direction. Myles is more of a tall man than a big man as far as how he plays, but he’s not afraid of big man things. He’s having a rough series but he made his impact more quietly by occupying Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, putting himself in their way.
He did a better job as a roadblock to rebounds even if he himself only gathered a handful. Also, when you’re blocking your opponent’s three-point attempt, you’re doing something right. Holmgren was 0 for 5 when defended by Turner.
It’s a small thing, but it was part of what was a more physical game from the Pacers all around. They played like a team should in a Game 6, and it’s fair to say OKC was not prepared to deal with Indiana’s less full-court approach.
This hasn’t been his best series of basketball, and it’s part of the reason why Indiana has lost games. He’s not been awful, but he has hardly been a factor in most games beyond defending the rim.
But if he can do smaller things like this to keep the OKC bigs more honest, then that’s a small win in the big picture of Game 7.
Can the Pacers cheat death one more time?
The odds are than the Oklahoma City Thunder will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy on Sunday night. They’re at home, Indiana’s on the road. Calls are more likely to go their way, their players should be more comfortable at home — I don’t think Alex Caruso goes scoreless and has a -33 +/- in Game 7.
But odds are just odds.
The +6600 preseason odds to start the season meant the casinos only believed there was a 1.49% chance for the Pacers to win the Finals.
Now, they’re one win away from the franchise’s first NBA title.
“I think at this point of the year, I mean, it’s all about hard play,” Pascal Siakam said after Game 6. “We’ve played each other enough now, where it’s like, it’s pretty much — I mean, I don’t think there are any secrets out there when we play.
“I think at that point, it’s just about hard play and, again, sacrificing everything. We’ve worked so hard for this opportunity, and you’re privileged enough to get it at the highest, you know, level ever. You know, it’s just a blessing. We’re fortunate to be here. I just always remember the times where I had to go on vacation early. You know, like those things always play in my mind. So be appreciative of the fact that we’re still here, and we have a great opportunity. So it’s just going to be all about hard play, like I said, and just understanding what’s front of us and going out there and leaving it all out there on the floor.”
Some of the small things will decide who wins Game 7. The MVP will likely have a good night; his Scottie Pippen Williams won’t miss all his three-point attempts. Tyrese Haliburton has no lift on his shots, so it’s not as if the Pacers can ask him to save the day again, right? Indiana’s going to have to adjust to Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault’s changes, too.
But if they bring some of the things they did in Game 6 into the most important game in the franchise’s history, maybe they can tip those odds a little more in their favor and bring their first NBA championship back home with them.
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