Games 4, 5, and 6 Review
Games 4, 5, and 6 of the series showed that this series can go anywhere. The Thunder won Games 4 and 5 by a comfortable margin. The score does not reflect the effort Indiana put forth in the 4th quarter of those games to make it close against the Thunder. Pascal Siakam put up an incredible statline, putting up 20+ points in each game to give them a chance, along with TJ McConnell’s spark off the bench, getting steals and buckets. Tyrese Haliburton was able to post up a near triple-double to lead the Pacers to a domination in game six over the Thunder, blasting a lead of 30 points. This was the momentum they needed going into Game 7. Indiana, with nothing to lose as the 4th seed, defied all odds throughout these playoffs. Beating Giannis and the Bucks, to swiftly taking down the 1-seed Cavs, to defeating a powerhouse Knicks team, to pushing the best team in the league to Game 7 in the Finals. As I had said in the last article, it all comes down to who wants it more. All cards will be thrown on the table in Game 7, and let's see what both of these sides have to play for their first ring in franchise history.
Summary/Plan for Game 7
Game 7 will be the toughest competition for both teams ever. All pressure is on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton to play their hearts out and have magnificent games. Shai will be given the green light to attack and score with the various maneuvers he has mastered. Haliburton, on the other hand, will be limited in terms of his play. Haliburton suffered a calf strain in game five that left him walking gingerly and not giving him that explosive touch he gets when dribbling the basketball. Rick Carlisle will likely limit his minutes during the finals and utilize the bench power of Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell to give them a spark as their star player recovers between intervals. Rick Carlisle, in this final game, should give the reins to Siakam as he has been the main driving force of this underdog team throughout the playoffs. He needs to utilize the mismatches as well as drive to the rim and take it hard. He is very solid at finishing through contact and has a pretty good free-throw percentage. Giving TJ more minutes off the bench will help the Pacers defensively by putting him on more challenging assignments, such as Shai and Williams. He is a pest and will cause trouble for them, trying to get to their spots on the court. Going into this series, the expectation was that the Thunder were going to knock off the Pacers in 5 or maybe even six if Indiana got lucky. Indiana has truly proved everybody wrong by showing that they are a team not to be messed with. My prediction for this game is that OKC will take the win, simply because they are playing at home in game 7. However, I feel that the game will be close. If Indiana come out of Game 7 with a ring, there will be no shock on my end.