(Not-So) Instant Reactions: 2025 NBA Finals Game One

Since I love basketball far more than basketball loves me and I can't have nice things, I had the unfortunate fate of only being able to listen to the final quarter of last night's NBA Finals opener on the radio due to needing to go to work. This wasn't completely bad, I was able to escape the constant attempts by the national broadcast to get this series over with and crown Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder as the next faces of the NBA and listen to elite radio host Mark Boyle call one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history (add another tally on the playoffs list as well for this Pacers team).

I unjustly rant, but to be honest with you, there was little I thought the three national hosts in Breen, Burke, and Jefferson got wrong when it came to what they were watching on screen. For 36 minutes of game time, the Pacers simply appeared to be outclassed against a Thunder team that I've cased for as one of the best teams in the modern era. The Pacers were playing exactly into the Thunder's game of never-stopping defensive pressure to force turnovers, constant drive-and-kicks from Gilgeous-Alexander to create a shot or open looks for his teammates, and forcing this Pacers team to play at a slower pace as they needed to be ever-aware of where the ball lands.

It was a dominating display by the Thunder for those three quarters, but it all shifted in the fourth, as so many Pacers games had from these playoffs. Magically, shots that weren't falling started to fall. The Thunder couldn't figure out what rotation they needed as big man duo Hartenstein and Holmgren continually shifted on and off the court as Mark Deignault wandered for a strategy to slow down the Pacers. Andrew Nembhard assumed primary ball-handling duties for an ever-pressured Haliburton, who was struggling to find his rhythm with the looming physicality and quickness the Thunder were providing on every possession. What I get at is that the Pacers seemed like a team possessed. Their number one strength is when they're down on the ropes and their opponent is looking for a knockout blow, the game plan shifts to get the ball in the basket in any way possible, something they did to take game one of the series 111-110.

Yes, I'm aware, I've yet to bring up the game-winner from undoubtedly one of the clutchest players that has skipped across the NBA in quite a long time. And yes, I'm aware that this is game one and the Thunder are still heavy favorites in this series despite losing homecourt advantage in the opening game. But this game was something that is unbelievable yet expected because that's what this Pacers team does to games. They turn the impossible into possible, and no amount of "frontrunner" talk can bring that down. Both sides need heavy adjustments if they want a legitimate shot at claiming their first NBA championship. Here are just a few.

The Pacers' Transition Defense is as Good as we thought it was

In my previous Finals preview piece, I proclaimed the massive improvement of the Pacers' defense compared to previous seasons with this core, and majorly highlighted the unbelievable statistics that support this case in the transition game. Before last night, the Pacers averaged some of the fewest turnovers in the league (especially in the playoffs), and therefore, I theorized that these historically low numbers were a result of a lack of sample size. I wasn't completely discrediting the group's transition defense, but statistics have yet to lie (unless you're a live ESPN matchup predictor). The number one concern for the Pacers last night, in turn, led to their number one subject of praise, as after breaking a 25-year record for most turnovers (19) in a Finals half and 25 overall in the game, they only conceded 11 points off those turnovers. These weren't all deadball turnovers either (despite a handful of "offensive fouls" being ruled against Indy; you'll understand the quotation marks if you were in any sort of live thread with me for that game), these were in-play, ball moving up the court at the Thunder's pace level turnovers. The Pacers were adamant on hustling to the other side to establish any sort of contest against a Thunder team that has been one of the best transition offenses in the NBA this season. Getting from one side of the court to the other so quickly is what prevented the Thunder from getting to the basket so many times off those turnovers, and instead had to concede to actual offensive position, allowing a reset for the Pacers' defense as well. It makes me wonder if Deignault is going to want to have his team lay off the maximum pressure from now on against Indiana, even though I feel like continuing this current game plan is best for the Thunder in the long run. You don't allow this explosive Pacers offense to set what they want to set and catch their groove like they did in that fourth quarter. You hope your players are paying closer attention to the ball rather than the handler, and allow one of your handful of defensive guards to do the player watching to allow for more opportunistic transition opportunities.

Ball-Watching Will Cost One of These Teams the Series

I cannot express how much frustration was entering my soul every time what should've been an easy rebound for this Pacers team somehow fell into the hands of a Thunder player, especially on the defensive boards for Indiana. This has been the case all playoffs for Indiana where it seems than rather establishing position as a shot goes up to secure any rebound, the team instead opts to send all hands out on deck to whoever is going up with the shot allowing for the opponent to effortlessly have the ball fall in their hands as there is no Pacers player near to box them out. Based on the numbers, you'd think the opposite of this, as this game the Pacers outrebounded the Thunder on both offense and defense, finishing with 56 total rebounds compared to 39 from Oklahoma City. Now, you can argue that these easy positional rebounds is simply a byproduct of how basketball is now played, as so many tough shot makers such as Gilgeous-Alexander are out there to make any lackadiscal defense pay at any sign of space, but this can't continue against a second-chance team like Oklahoma City or the Pacers for that matter. Two elite offenses are bound to make the other team pay once the ball is back in their favor, and both sides showed that last night. This is especially true on the Pacers' side, as the attention is so focused on the ball handler that there is no time or room to establish position for a rebound to keep this well-oiled Thunder machine to keep rolling. The Thunder, on the other hand, go back to something mentioned previously, as the continued hounding of the ball-handler is what allows for this Pacers team to transition on defense so well, not allowing for a numbers advantage that usually allocates on a transition opportunity. The Thunder missed out on potentially 20 or more transition points that would've made this game an absolute blowout in their favor.

The Thunder Need to Stick With What Works

Just moments before the game, we received the news that the Thunder were removing big Isaiah Hartenstein from the starting lineup and substituting Cason Wallace for more added ball pressure. I was terrified of this move and frankly believe it was the right one. My number one flag for the Thunder to claim if they wanted to have the upper-hand in this series is that they need to rely on Hartenstein as little as possible, as on paper, he simply cannot keep up against in offense that the Pacers like to run. In their best rotations, their players are simply too quick and perimeter oriented for a player like Hartnestein to keep up using foot speed, and that worked in that first half. I liked the Holmgren start, as I feel Chet is a truly special defensive talent, and that certainly seemed to be the case when he was keeping up with smaller Pacers big men throughout his early minutes of the matchup. Coach Deignault must have seen something he wasn't a fan of, however, as Holmgren went to the bench shortly after the halfway tick of the first quarter, and finished the game with only 24 total minutes played. Dead last in the starting lineup and sixth total on the team as bench presence Alex Caruso racked more minutes than the center as well. In Deignault's defense, there were plays where Holmgren seemed to be lagging behind. On the offensive side, there were times Holmgren simply couldn't handle the physicality that the referee crew was allowing throughout the game, and Myles Turner was having his way whenever the Thunder center would enter the paint. The guard-heavy lineup was working extraordinarily well for the Thunder as well, as they were able to keep the Pacers' offense silenced for the majority of the night. But it certainly is not a stretch to say that maybe the best game plan is to continue to do what you have been doing, that's responsible for 80 total wins this season. But I'm not completely ignorant. This Pacers team is different, and coach Deignault realizes that and knows that he needs to try some things if he wants to claim this crown. There is a point where you need to go to what you know works, and I feel that never spawned for Deignault last night.

The Keys to Game Two

Game two will be taking place at 8:00 pm EST on Sunday, June 8th. The Pacers have already stolen homecourt from the Thunder, a team whose last home loss against an Eastern Conference opponent came in March of 2024, against the Indiana Pacers. But this is not to be taken lightly by Indiana. This Pacers team has made it well and clear that Paycom Center (it's still Chesapeake Arena in my heart) is their hunting grounds, and they will be looking to amp up the pressure even more against Indiana. This game is crucial for the Pacers, as although you may be in the driver's seat, the Thunder have an unmatched ability to crush an opponent after taking a blow. Many examples prevail all season, but you only need to look back to the Western Conference Finals where they crushed Minnesota on their home turf after the Timberwolves beat the Thunder by nearly 40 points just two nights before.

It is crucial for the Pacers to recognize this and adjust accordingly. Turnovers cannot come as easily as they did last night. Despite the statistics, you cannot always rely on an explosion in the closing minutes of a game to steal one from the opponent. This Thunder team is scary good, and they've got the personnel in jerseys and track suits to recognize what they need to do. Expect a substitution to the starting lineup in the likes of Alex Caruso, whose immense ball pressure (fouling) on Nikola Jokic is what allowed for the Thunder to win their second-round series against the Nuggets. This Thunder team knows what it has to do to beat the Pacers, and in a lot of ways, their parallel to each other. They know each other's games and reflect each other as the Pacers' offense on one side and the Thunder's defense on the other side.

Buckle up, this is gonna be a series that comes down to the final buzzer. No motives, no drama, just pure professional basketball.

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