By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 03:54 BST, 9 June 2025 | Updated: 03:54 BST, 9 June 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - For the Indiana Pacers, a chance at being perfect in Games 1 and 2 of these playoffs went awry.
They´ll have to settle for a mere split of the opening two games in the NBA Finals instead.
The Pacers´ bid to become the fifth team in NBA history to go 8-0 to open the four playoff rounds - sweeping Games 1 and 2 in all four series - was stopped on Sunday night by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder took control early and [won Game 2 123-107](https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-thunder-pacers-5aedb7fcfd4878890c08279ffd31f14d?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share), tying the championship matchup at a game apiece.
The Pacers were trying to join the 1986 Boston Celtics, 1987 Los Angeles Lakers, 1996 Chicago Bulls and 2017 Golden State Warriors as teams that won Games 1 and 2 in all four rounds of a single postseason. All four went on to win the NBA title.
Those teams all did it with home-court advantage in every one of those series. The Pacers haven´t had home court since Round 1 - taking the first two of that series against Milwaukee, then winning the first two of Round 2 at Cleveland, the first two of the Eastern Conference final at New York, and Game 1 of the finals in Oklahoma City.
So, in the end, the Pacers have to settle for going 7-1, tying for the fifth-best record in Games 1 and 2 in a single postseason. They also became the third team to win five of those games on the road in a playoff run.
Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
Houston went 5-3 in Games 1 and 2 on the road on its way to the title in 1995 and Miami went 5-3 in road games over the first two games of series in 2023 on its way to the NBA Finals. (The Heat were 6-2 in "road" games in Games 1 and 2 of their series in the 2020 bubble playoffs as well, but those games were all in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.)
"I´m not interested in talking about the past," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Each day, as you are on a playoff run, is like a new day. I find that looking back is a dangerous thing. We´ve got to keep our eye firmly where it needs to be."
If the Pacers had won Sunday, they likely would have been overwhelming favorites heading home with a 2-0 lead. Only two teams - the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets - won the first two games of a finals on the road, and both went on to win the NBA title in those seasons. And teams that open the finals with a 2-0 lead go on to win the series 86.5% of the time (32 times in 37 chances).
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Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) collides with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle stands on the sidelines during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)