The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 of the NBA Finals from the Oklahoma City Thunder with an epic fourth-quarter comeback. These comebacks have become a common theme for the Pacers throughout the playoffs, and they now hold a massive 1-0 lead in the series.
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Indiana has used a long rotation during the playoffs to wear down opponents, and it has worked out very well. Oklahoma City got a taste of that up close in Game 1, and it seemed to throw them off as the game went on.
After the fact, Pacers star center Myles Turner spoke on the game plan from Indiana and how they know they can get into the mind of opponents. Turner even went as far as to say that the Thunder may have a tougher time down the stretch of games due to the plan from the Pacers.
“It’s part of a formula. I think that when you get to this time of year, you don’t switch up what you do,” Turner said of the impact of the wear-down effect. “We know this is a younger team. It’s a team that kind of has the same philosophy as us. In the fourth quarter, when you get picked up full court or you get worn down a bit, the shots are a lot harder to hit. Those 3s that you’ve been hitting all game are a little bit different in the last three minutes when you’re a little more tired."
If the Thunder wants to tie the series up before the scene shifts to Indiana, they will need to adjust quickly. But teams have found it very difficult to make adjustments against this Pacers team due to the extreme depth that they have.
However, Oklahoma City may be one of the few teams that can match the Pacers in terms of a long rotation. Indiana should be expecting a desperate Thunder team in Game 2 following the brutal home loss in the first contest.
But the Pacers can't be satisfied with grabbing one game on the road. This Oklahoma City team was the best in the NBA all year for a reason, and the Pacers will need to match the energy once again in Game 2.
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