Bill Haisten
OKLAHOMA CITY – Game No. 100 of the Oklahoma City season concluded with a 123-107 Thunder victory as role players Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams stepped up with difference-making performances.
Had Game 2 of the NBA Finals not ended gone for OKC – and if there had been another home loss to the Indiana Pacers – I strongly believe there would have been no recovery for the Thunder.
Really good since January, the Pacers have been on a magic run during the playoffs. Had they gained a 2-0 series lead, it feels like they would have rolled to the finish line with their organization’s first NBA title. Had Indiana taken a 2-0 lead, OKC would have needed four wins in five games to win the series.
Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit to conquer the 73-win Golden State Warriors for the 2016 NBA title.
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Those same Warriors – a few weeks before getting Kevin Durant in the transfer portal – rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit to steal Game 6 in Oklahoma City and finish the Thunder in a Western Conference finals Game 7 played in California.
On five occasions in the NBA Finals, a team overcame a two-games-to-none deficit to capture the title: the 1969 Boston Celtics (over the LA Lakers), the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers (over the Philadelphia 76ers), the 2006 Miami Heat (over the Dallas Mavericks), the 2016 Cavs and the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks (over the Phoenix Suns).
An 0-2 deficit in this Indiana-OKC series would have felt insurmountable for the Thunder.
Before Sunday, the Pacers during this postseason were 7-0 in Games 1 and 2 of previous series. They surged to a two-games-to-none lead with two home victories over Milwaukee, to a 2-0 advantage with a pair of road wins over the Eastern Conference top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and to a 2-0 advantage over the New York Knicks after twice winning at Madison Square Garden.
And then last Thursday, Indiana’s big-shot specialist Tyrese Haliburton staggered OKC with his game-winning bucket – converted with three-tenths of one second remaining.
All day Friday and again on Saturday, Thunder players were reminded of their 111-110 Game 1 failure.
This is a championship competition, so of course the pressure is overwhelming.
During Game 2, the pressure on OKC was doubled.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, which for him is like sinking a two-foot par putt. SGA has mastered the ability to score 34 points.
Oklahoma City won Game 2 because of its bench.
There are nights when Wiggins scores like an All-Star. Examples: 35 points against Utah and 41 against Sacramento. Sunday was one of those nights as Wiggins converted on five 3-point buckets, totaling 18 points in 20½ minutes.
The 2024-25 Thunder team is better than any of the Durant-Russell Westbrook Thunder teams because of depth. A guy like Wiggins can be fairly quiet for several days and then be a reason by OKC prevails in the NBA Finals.
In his last eight games before Sunday, Wiggins had a combined total of 23 points.
When Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault needed to break the glass and find more Game 2 offense, Wiggins answered the call.
Actually, Wiggins and Caruso should be considered Game 2 co-MVPs. In addition to his typical defensive activity, Caruso swished four 3-point shots and finished with 20 points.
Among NBA big men, is there a more skilled passer than Hartenstein? Probably not. His primary contributions Game 2 contributions were four assists and eight rebounds.
Kenrich Williams was scoreless and still was a valuable, high-energy presence in 7½ minutes for the Thunder.
Game 3 happens on Wednesday night in Indianapolis, at the Pacers’ gorgeous Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Had there been another OKC stumble in Game 2, the pressure before and during Game 3 might have been psychologically crippling for the Thunder.
Instead, they passed a giant test.
Combining the 82-game regular season with the playoffs, the Thunder has played 100 times since Oct. 24. Because Game No. 100 ended in a way that Game No. 99 should have, Oklahoma City evened the NBA Finals at one game apiece.
As they travel to Indy, the young Thunder players aren’t burdened by two-games-to-none pressure.
When time expired on Sunday, it felt that there was more relief than joy in Paycom Center.
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