However, David was far closer to Goliath than those numbers suggested.<\/p>\n
The playoff Pacers shot 40.1%<\/a> on 33.4 3-pointers per game and averaged 12.7 turnovers<\/a> through three series, which were ideal numbers<\/a> to truncate the Thunder’s hyperactive defense. Players like T.J. McConnell (-0.8), Bennedict Mathurin (-1.5) and Obi Toppin (-1.8) provided better postseason impact than their negative regular-season estimated plus-minuses<\/a>.<\/p>\n Indiana had also won six of eight playoff road battles<\/a> with a +20 point differential, while Oklahoma City went 4-3 away from home <\/a>with a -48 point differential.<\/p>\n The underdog made a Game 1 road statement on June 5<\/a>, executing their fourth miraculous playoff comeback \u2014 one in each round \u2014 from a nine-point deficit with under three minutes remaining<\/a>.<\/p>\n Down by a point in the final seconds, Tyrese Haliburton received a short pass from Aaron Nesmith, dribbled up the court and launched a pull-up 21-footer that fell through the net with tenths of a second on the clock. It marked the Pacers’ first and only lead all night, which resembled the Thunder’s series-opening loss against the Denver Nuggets two rounds prior.<\/p>\n From there, Oklahoma City experienced its second round all over again. It beat Indiana comfortably in Game 2 on June 8<\/a>, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s efficient 34 points, eight assists and four steals. The Thunder split the following two road contests, as the Pacers dominated Game 3’s clutch time<\/a> on June 11 but gave up a three-possession fourth-quarter lead two days later<\/a>.<\/p>\n Home-court advantage ultimately decided the series’ outcome. The Thunder won Game 5 by 11 points<\/a> after a late scare and fell behind by 30 points<\/a> after three quarters in Game 6 on June 19. This gave Oklahoma City another winner-take-all clash at Paycom Center.<\/p>\n Haliburton, who had played through a right calf strain<\/a> since Game 5’s first quarter, suffered a right Achilles tear seven minutes into Game 7<\/a>. He nailed three long 3-pointers<\/a> before exiting for good.<\/p>\n Indiana hung on for as long as it could, even leading by a point at halftime, but Oklahoma City opened the floodgates with third-quarter turnovers and shotmaking. Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 29 points and 12 assists, Chet Holmgren registered 18 points and five blocks and the Thunder completed its dream season with a 103-91 victory.<\/p>\n During the 2025 playoffs, Oklahoma City went 11-2<\/a> with a +19.9 average point differential at home. It won all seven games<\/a> with a +16.7 average point differential after losses.<\/p>\n Comparing the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers’ points scored and points allowed, by game, during the 2025 NBA Finals. Dot size correlates positively with turnover differential. \/ Basketball Reference<\/p>\n This Finals was the most back-and-forth series across the 2025 postseason. Both teams held two series leads, both teams fought for at least three wins and both teams were separated by 19 total points. The Thunder did not eviscerate the Pacers in any game, as it had done to the three previous opponents. Indiana’s elimination Game 6 performance was the matchup’s gold standard.<\/p>\n Oklahoma City tallied a higher free throw rate<\/a> in five games, a lower turnover percentage<\/a> in four games, a higher offensive rebound percentage<\/a> in three games and a higher effective field goal percentage<\/a> in just one game.<\/p>\n The Thunder won the turnover battle in all four home games. It tied the Pacers in Game 4 and lost that category multiple times \u2014 as Indiana exhibited the NBA’s second-best ball security.<\/p>\n The 2024-25 regular-season scoring champion, regular-season MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP completed his immaculate season with a unanimous Finals MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged<\/a> 30.3 points on 44.3% shooting, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks in 38.1 minutes per game. He shot 21-for-29 (72.4%) in the restricted area<\/a>, 41-for-96 (42.7%) on mid-range attempts<\/a>, 8-for-33 (24.2%) on 3-pointers and 64-for-70 (91.4%) on free throws.<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers in five of seven games. The seventh-year guard averaged a 6.8 box plus-minus<\/a> and a 21.8 game score. He posted 38 points in Game 1 \u2014 the third-most by a Finals debutant behind 2001 Allen Iverson’s 48 points<\/a> and 1949 George Mikan’s 42 points<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 31 points on 9-for-21 shooting<\/a>, 10 assists, four blocks, two assists, two steals and a +9 plus-minus in Oklahoma City’s crucial Game 5 win.<\/p>\n Siakam, the incoming Eastern Conference Finals MVP, would have picked up additional hardware if the series had flipped. He averaged 19.3 points<\/a> on 45.4% shooting, 7.7 rebounds (2.3 offensive), 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.3 blocks and just 1.7 turnovers in 33.4 minutes per game. The 31-year-old shot 20-for-27 (74.1%) in the restricted area<\/a>, 14-for-42 (33.3%) in the mid-range<\/a>, 10-for-28 (35.7%) from downtown and 37-for-47 (78.7%) at the line.<\/p>\n The ninth-year forward led Pacers scorers in three games and Pacers rebounders twice. Siakam recorded six games with a positive box plus-minus (7.1 average<\/a>) and a double-digit game score (17.1 average<\/a>) in all seven games, providing much more consistency than Haliburton or any other teammate.<\/p>\n Siakam finished with 28 points on 15 shots (3-for-6 3-pointers), six rebounds (two offensive), five assists, three steals, two blocks and six turnovers in his team’s nail-biting Game 5 defeat.<\/p>\n Haliburton’s Game 1 winner was the most memorable Finals play by far, but the Thunder had to dig deep to effectively save its season three games later.<\/p>\n Indiana won the first quarter by a point<\/a>, the second quarter by two points and the third quarter by four points. Oklahoma City registered 11 assists on 37 field goals and shot a gruesome 3-for-16 (18.8%) from deep. Each team tallied an identical effective field goal percentage (49.4%) and turnover percentage (14.5%).<\/p>\n As he was throughout the season, Gilgeous-Alexander served as the Thunder’s ace in the hole. Immediately after clutch time began, he banked in a scoop layup, swished a catch-and-shoot triple and knocked down an unbalanced baseline jumper in quick succession. The last basket gave Oklahoma City a 104-103 lead with 2:23 remaining<\/a> \u2014 which it did not relinquish.<\/p>\n Six lead changes<\/a>, 11 ties and the hard-fought late-game execution reflected how important Game 4 was for both sides. The Thunder did not give back home-court advantage before it won the championship.<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander and Siakam produced admirable Game 5 outings, though Oklahoma City’s third-year forward stole the show with a career-defining display.<\/p>\n Williams exploded for 40 points<\/a> on 14-for-25 shooting (3-for-5 3-pointers), six rebounds (one offensive), four assists, a steal, just one turnover and a +14 plus-minus in the Thunder’s penultimate playoff win. He racked up eight restricted-area makes<\/a> and nine made free throws.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n