The Indiana Pacers had a massive chance to take a 3-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. All game long, they looked like they had the Thunder on the ropes. However, late in the game, the Pacers suffered a brutal collapse that cost them the game.
With the loss, Indiana will head back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 with the NBA Finals tied at 2-2. While the series is not over, it is a best of three series with two of those games coming on the road against the Thunder.
It’s very possible that the Pacers fumbled away their first franchise NBA championship with their late-game collapse in Game 4.
That is exactly what NBA legend and analyst Charles Barkley believes. He thinks Indiana lost the NBA Finals with their Game 4 loss.
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“Yeah I think they [the Pacers] in trouble because when you have a team on the ropes, you gotta finish them off,” Barkley said. “You go up 3-1, you’re in great shape. But now, you know Oklahoma City—Number one, they got a better team. Now they’re back to their original starting lineup, which will be better next game.”
After the loss, the Pacers’ fan base was devastated. Indiana had the game, but failed time and time again to make the plays to close out Oklahoma City.
Barkley continued on, calling the series a “wrap” following the Pacers’ blown opportunity.
“Then they realize—Man, we gotta play our bench more. We’re back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. We’re gonna go back big-big. We can dominate them on the boards like we did. And they’re going back to Oklahoma City. I think this series is a wrap. I thought tonight was a big deal for both teams.”
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What was the difference in the final few minutes of Game 4? Quite simply, the Thunder had a closer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Indiana looked like a team who had no clue which player to turn to.
Both Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam struggled to make a consistent impact in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, dominated the Pacers to close out the game.
Game 5 is set to be played in Oklahoma City on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. Indiana will look to pick up the pieces from their crushing defeat or face elimination at home in Game 6.
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