The 2025 NBA Finals thread - OKC vs Indy - louder, deeper, faster

[Richard Cranium]

You can blame the refs but that was just terrible from the Pacers in the 4th. Up double figures at one point (3rd quarter?), but then dumb fouls, missed free throws, offence being a mess, nothing from your stars...

They choked away a 3-1 lead.

 

[mumblingpie]

I still think it’s Pacers in 7

 

[Woody15]

Benedict Mathurin was absolutely terrible in the 4th. Cost them severely with 3 missed FT and 2 off-ball fouls down the stretch.

 

[fidstar]

His reputation has taken a battering in these finals

Nembhard has really put the clamps on him.

You mean the guy averaging 33ppg on good efficiency?

Hate to see how he'd go if he wasn't having "the clamps on him".

 

[fidstar]

SGA was unbelievable down the stretch. Amazing for a first finals appearance.

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

You can blame the refs but that was just terrible from the Pacers in the 4th. Up double figures at one point (3rd quarter?), but then dumb fouls, missed free throws, offence being a mess, nothing from your stars...

They choked away a 3-1 lead.

Agreed

Get the nasty feeling this game will haunt Indy fans for years. Really hope I am wrong.

Fair play to Shai and the Thunder though. I don't like him cause of all the calls he gets but SGA saved his legacy and the Thunder's season with that performance in clutch time.

Really hope this goes to 7 games.

 

[Chism]

Benedict Mathurin was absolutely terrible in the 4th. Cost them severely with 3 missed FT and 2 off-ball fouls down the stretch.

Happens with the younger players.

You have to ride the ups and downs and he was pivotal in game 3.

OKC were just that little better down the stretch and SGA with a 9-0 run in the 4th qtr on his own was crucial. What he missed J Dubb cleaned up.

 

[DT_35]

The extender strikes again

 

[Woody15]

Happens with the younger players.

You have to ride the ups and downs and he was pivotal in game 3.

OKC were just that little better down the stretch and SGA with a 9-0 run in the 4th qtr on his own was crucial. What he missed J Dubb cleaned up.

I don't disagree. He was very good in game 3. Not taking that away from him.

Plenty of other plays to point towards for the loss also. Haliburton threw up a very ambitious 3. Nesmith missed an easy jumper. Just the number of errors/misses from Mathurin in a relatively short period of time really stood out in the end.

 

[Sonny Hayes]

His reputation has taken a battering in these finals

Nembhard has really put the clamps on him.

I had missed these takes

 

[fidstar]

Agreed

Get the nasty feeling this game will haunt Indy fans for years. Really hope I am wrong.

Fair play to Shai and the Thunder though. I don't like him cause of all the calls he gets but SGA saved his legacy and the Thunder's season with that performance in clutch time.

Really hope this goes to 7 games.

Saved his legacy? wtf?

Dude is 26 years old.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

You can blame the refs but that was just terrible from the Pacers in the 4th. Up double figures at one point (3rd quarter?), but then dumb fouls, missed free throws, offence being a mess, nothing from your stars...

They choked away a 3-1 lead.

So much this.

I think there was a play with about a minute left in the 3rd quarter, where Siakam dribbled 20 seconds off the clock then threw up a low-percentage step back 3, like he was Steph. Foreshadowed what their offence degenerated into for the whole fourth quarter. Missed all those free throws too. They had OKC on the ropes and they froze.

Squeaky bum time all-round.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

OKC Bench is trash

I'm claiming a belated victory on the fact that keeping Joe/Wiggins/Williams was trash

Their bench ain't trash, but i don't think Daigneault has utilised it as well as he should.

In Game 3 Joe hit two threes in quick succession in the first half, then picked up a couple of fouls. Daigneault yanked him and never re-inserted him, and ended up playing SGA 42 minutes. I don't think that's good coaching.

IMO he's too wedded to Cason Wallace, who is giving them next to nothing offensively. He actually gave Keinrich Williams some burn today, and they looked better.

 

[Chism]

Their bench ain't trash, but i don't think Daigneault has utilised it as well as he should.

In Game 3 Joe hit two threes in quick succession in the first half, then picked up a couple of fouls. Daigneault yanked him and never re-inserted him, and ended up playing SGA 42 minutes. I don't think that's good coaching.

IMO he's too wedded to Cason Wallace, who is giving them next to nothing offensively. He actually gave Keinrich Williams some burn today, and they looked better.

I agree on Joe and he is a lethal 3pt weapon. Needs way more court time.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Can I just vent about Doris Burke? I've reached my limit with her.

• Always referring to players by their first name (she even started referring to the OKC coach as simply 'Mark' in the last game ffs. How she has continued to get away with this over the years is baffling to me)
• Her constant awkward comments when trying to spice up some highlights/plays ('yeahhh we see you young fella!' et al does not sound right when coming out of her mouth)
• The ridiculous hyperbole when trying to talk up players (she makes it seems as though 'Chet' is already a hall of famer)
• The amount of times she'll say a load of nothing and need to have RJ come in and save her with a proper bit of insight...

She was good back in the day as a sideline reporter, but she just isn't good enough to be one of the lead callers in the Finals. Hopefully this is the last time.

 

[PJays]

Saved his legacy? wtf?

Dude is 26 years old.

Yeah it's worth remembering when Carlisle was last an underdog in the finals and going up against a 26 year old superstar.

That 26 year old struggled in those finals but fair to say his legacy recovered.

 

[stewie griffen]

Let's hope we get a decent game

 

[stewie griffen]

Nembhard gets that call if he's sga

 

[srobbo]

Hali going to turn up today or what?

 

[stewie griffen]

Hali can't go

 

[srobbo]

J Dub unstoppable.

 

[mumblingpie]

Eh don’t count out a Pacers run in the 4th

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Eh don’t count out a Pacers run in the 4th

Hope you're right but I doubt it.

 

[DT_35]

Only 1 bloke in the league that gets these BS fouls lmao

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Hali going to turn up today or what?

Got a feeling he isnt 100% fit myself. He basically cant run to his left

Jalen Williams is that guy also. Going on that Kevin Durant trajectory in his career