INDIANAPOLIS — Oklahoma Metropolis has been right here earlier than.
Only a month in the past, the Thunder trailed the Nuggets 2-1 and needed to win Sport 4 on the highway to remain in that collection. They did it in a grinding, at occasions sloppy recreation, the place Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins sparked a fourth-quarter run and comeback that gave OKC the win and confirmed they may win gritty, robust video games.
Indiana is a really completely different staff — don’t count on Sport 4 of the NBA Finals to be a grinding and gradual affair — however having accomplished this earlier than offers Oklahoma Metropolis confidence that it may well do it once more.
“We’ve been right here earlier than. Received to bounce again. Get the automobile again on the highway,” Wallace mentioned.
“Yeah, it feels quite a bit comparable,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added. “Clearly dropping Sport 1 on a buzzer-beater, profitable large Sport 2, being up in Sport 3 and dropping the lead. There’s a variety of similarities…
“However on the finish of the day, we now have to be who we’re and who we’ve been all season. I believe we acquired again to that in that collection. If we wish to give ourselves an opportunity on this collection, it needs to be the identical factor.”
Being themselves meant a few issues to the Thunder. One was not turning the ball over, one thing they did 19 occasions of their Sport 3 loss. Three of these have been backcourt turnovers.
“Yeah, we turned the ball over at a excessive fee the final recreation,” Wallace mentioned. “We acquired to show that over.”
The Thunder additionally performed extra in isolation in Sport 3 than they’d have favored, with the assists and ball motion that had outlined their run to the NBA Finals fading within the face of extra intense and targeted defensive stress from the Pacers.
“I believe we performed on their phrases greater than we performed on our phrases of how we wished the sport to be and to movement,” Alex Caruso mentioned.” I believe that was obvious simply with the runs that they went on once they performed effectively.”
A big a part of disrupting the Thunder’s movement and limiting their assists has been the spectacular Pacers’ transition protection.
“A few of it’s been our transition, I believe. I believe we do a variety of injury there that we haven’t gotten on this collection up to now,” Thunder coach Daigneault mentioned.
The Pacers have been right here, too — they’ve led each staff these playoffs by 2-1. In addition they received Sport 4 in each spherical.
Indiana wants to try this once more on Friday night time, or this might be a best-of-three collection the place Oklahoma Metropolis could have momentum and residential courtroom benefit.
“We’re excited to play one other recreation in entrance of our house crowd, strategy this recreation the identical approach we approached yesterday,” Tyrese Haliburton mentioned. “Simply management what we are able to. I believe the most important factor is simply enjoying arduous. If we are able to try this, we are able to determine the whole lot out from there.
“There’s no must get tremendous giddy or excited. There’s nonetheless a variety of work to be accomplished.”
If the Pacers can try this work in Sport 4 in entrance of their raucous house crowd, they are going to be in charge of this collection.
