Pacers Force Game 7 vs. Thunder – GameTime Reaction | 2025 NBA Finals

Pacers Force Game 7 vs. Thunder – GameTime Reaction | 2025 NBA Finals

and here’s what went down early on of course that right calf strain we didn’t know how effective or how much Tyrese Hallebertton would be able to play early in this game it didn’t look good for Indiana they missed their first eight shots from the field hallebertton missed his first four shots it was a 10 to2 lead but here comes Indiana then Shay weaving his way to the basket on the other end Nemhard who was struggling be Wood in game five boy did he bounce back tonight yes he did bounce back early on this game had eight points in that big time run and we see TJ with the steal there and Obie Toppin pays it off for three how about Nehard and Topphen combined to score 16 of the first 24 points for Indiana well I think Nimart we got to give him a lot of credit on both ends you look at the job he did guarding SGA also five for seven three of five four for four what a performance from Nim Nimhard on both ends n Smith had 10 points here the jumper and the foul for him and they’re starting to pull away here again down by eight early they respond with a 24-7 run isaiah and and this crowd not only did it understand the moment but it also got him prepared for the moment and then that’s a moment you know that that that play there I I thought it really sealed the deal for the first half in terms of Watch out Jdub you just in terms and then you got Reds in I mean come on it it don’t get no better than that in pace line so at the half it was Oklahoma City down big down 22 a 30-9 run by Indiana to end the half third quarter nobody could score early on but then late here in the third look at the momentum just when we thought OKC Smitty might chip away Ben Shepard you betcha it’s a 30point lead going into the fourth well I mean unbelievable like you said no one could score at the at the beginning but then the Pacers found a little bit of rhythm but I thought they were locked in defensively to start the half here’s McConnell again he his mid-range game yeah this mid-range game is cold 12 points nine rebounds six assists four steals for McConnell toppin had 20 points hallebertton didn’t have to play the fourth series ain’t over you’re darn right about that for the 20th time in NBA history we will have a game seven keep this in mind it will be played in Oklahoma City the home team in game sevens in NBA Final history 15-4 and the Thunder have not lost consecutive games all postseasons we’re really getting a finals game seven yeah we are you can shed a tear it’s so exciting game time live at the finals isaiah Thomas Steve Smith Brendan Haywood Jared Greenberg our guys will be bouting OKC for game 7 which starts at 8 Eastern on Sunday night so what does that mean you’ll be on what like uh 5:00 5:30 local time something like that yeah that’s right uh you know I’ll be watching you Smitty yeah appreciate you that movie Trading Places it kind of felt like that’s what tonight was what what OKC was in game five Indiana was tonight it is remarkable Bwood um just the turnovers how that flip-flopped the assist flip-flopped three-point shooting flip-flopped those were the three big categories but you mentioned it in the pregame show the human nature okc knowing that they had a game seven at home to fall back on knowing that Tyrese Hallebertton was playing compromised the second youngest group in the history of the finals to reach this stage you think they fell into that trap it looks like it and I and I thought they had grown from because in Denver you saw how they had that human nature game in game one where they were up the last four minutes and kind of threw the game away and then the same thing kind of happened in game one of the finals and I’m thinking okay this team they they normally learn their lessons they’ve continued to grow all year long so I said “Okay I thought they would learn their lesson.” But they came out sga looked like he was pressing a lot he didn’t look as comfortable as he normally was uh this team looked a step slower to lose balls and it just simply looked like the Pacers were the hungrier team the OKC played like they had another game in their back pocket and the Pacers play like a team that was desperate and knew that their life was on the line that was the difference in the game to me yeah and I think to add to that Bwood Isaiah I I thought the Pacers were more physical i think they were getting into guys like the way OKC got into them in the Indiana game i mean they were physical they were bumping they were touching and I think OKC kind of retreated and when you stand up and retreat and they kept coming it just seemed like they took away their airspace and they didn’t play comfortable at all and they played with no force going downhill chad Hongren really struggled with physical contact in this game yeah he hadn’t struggled this bad since game one this game one and game six for Chad looked eerily similar just looked like he just couldn’t find his footing or get a rhythm you know I I said at the start of this game that it would be about the will of the team can they can they impose their will on the opponent and I thought Indiana did that tonight i thought physically Indiana they were the weaker team at the start of the game uh because they they had an injured player i don’t think OKC took advantage of the injured team that they were playing against by not coming out with the kill attitude and I thought Indiana’s survival instincts in terms of wanting to get to a game seven overwhelmed OKC tonight where OKC came to just win a basketball game Indiana came to survive before we get back to the sound go ahead Brenda no I was going to say I think you made a good point about the patients being wounded and OKC not taking advantage of that that was one thing we talked about wanting to see and they did have success at times when they put Tyrese Hallebertton in the pick and roll you saw SGA get downhill but that’s one of those things if it works Smith you remember back in Well hey if a play worked back in the day they waved that finger we going to run it again run it again till they stop it for me just for me if I’m the head coach we’re starting the game off testing Hallebertton’s calf we’re going at him putting in the pick and roll maybe run some baseline screens and if it works the way it did on a couple of occasions we’re going to keep running that i want to we talked about the will i want to test how healthy you are and then I want to test your will are you gonna go out here on a hurt cap and defend SGA in these pick and rolls because we want you to switch on him time and time again i would have liked to see I would have liked to see that if I was okay see that’s what how I would have started out the game that would have been my game plan yeah I think so go ahead Isaiah you know we as players when we talk about the game we talk about it in emotional terms right we talk about energy we talk about will we talking about wearing the the the phone it down you know and that equates to the numbers on a stat sheet and I thought tonight again with an injured Pacers team the more you wear against a player and a and a player like Hallebertton who would have every excuse to quit right you want to you want to just break the link you want to just try to get one player to submit and say “Okay I give.” And tonight OKC didn’t do that and it’s two foes what you’re talking about Bwood and Isaiah he’s also their best player so it’s okay to go at his injury but also he gets in foul trouble it takes a little bit away from them and I thought Bwood you hit it best isaiah you hit it best and as a player I’m looking he is in I’m attacking him from a standpoint even on a rebound he has to box out i’m trying to go 100 miles per hour to make him at the box side i might get an offensive foul but I don’t think I think they let him off the hook and subsequently next thing you know the pressure started to build up on OKC and the confidence started to rise in the Pacers one thing OKC also if you look at this game the Pacers started to double team Shay a lot in those pick and rolls and he didn’t always make the right play if you’re OKC you might need to go back to the game plan of what you did in game five where you were running the pick and roll with Jub and SGA to get the switch post SGA up at the free throw line and make life easier on him they might need to go back to that they saved that for the fourth quarter of I think it was game four they might need to start off game seven with that because whatever you have there’s no need to save it there’s no tomorrow we talk about game seven start off with your best hand and the distance of the three of the pick and roll was at the Yes close to half court today was back normal around the three-point line and and strategically right most NBA players are used to playing against drop coverage right where that big is dropping back so they had a snake dribble they had an in and out they work on all that how many players at the point guard position are used to being trapped on pick and rolls in this league right now it It rarely happens it rarely happens so SGA was able to split the trap a couple of games ago but tonight as you see they closed his face he wasn’t able to split consequently he wasn’t able to get downhill the way he was getting downhill and then when he was on the post right they didn’t come right away they came on the dribble they came on the first dribble they came on the second dribble so they had him confused and off balance but what Rick Carlile did tonight again by traing screen and roll rotating to the shooters getting out flying out most NBA teams don’t practice against that they practice against drop coverage using their snake dribble so they can get downhill and that’s what Tricky Rick is going to do rick Carl is going to look at that film he going to throw the old school stuff on him he’s going to he’s going to listen he’s going to throw everything except the kitchen sink at you and he might throw that at you as well and when it comes down to Rick Carile I can tell you his game plans are flawless offensively defensively he’s going to give you the tools to be successful and tonight it was obvious they looked at the film and they said “You know what we’ve seen SJ can beat us going to get 30 let’s see can he beat us going to get 15 16 17 assists?” And I can guarantee you they’re going to run that same coverage in game seven okc has to be able to solve that problem and I I thought he the defensive plan it looked like it to me Isaiah and Brendan was Elmo trap and the guy we’re going to leave open is Lou Dort and they gave him the much time as he wanted he couldn’t knock down shot and I thought he lost a little confidence and I think that might be the game plan again because Lou Dort has to find a way if you’re not making threes to take up the space Isaiah and make the next play he hasn’t done that but but Smitty talking about Lou Dort’s game his game isn’t to take up space it’s not if if like the next play isn’t Lou Dort’s game his game is you create a wideopen shot for me from the corner to the top of the key and I’ll knock down the shot if he has to put that thing down on the floor I don’t have the percentages right now but I know the eyeball test says it is not that good and has a very low percentage chance of going and you’re totally right but some kind of way if you ain’t going to make shots I don’t want you shooting air balls from three and not in the finals some of those were ugly shots too he was one for five and the thing that you two are are talking about in terms of confidence right and and and again these are the terms and and and the words that we use how does that wear on the player in the seven game series now because again you only need one or the other players on the opposing team to fall off and right now I look at what Carile and the Pacers did tonight they kind of shift the confidence of maybe two or three players that has to bounce back you know game seven because if they don’t bounce back game seven Indiana can come in and win game seven so you going to need great performances from Jay from Dor and SGA he’s the most consistent so he going to give you what you need

NBA TV GameTime crew Isiah Thomas, Steve Smith, Brendan Haywood, and Jared Greenberg react to the Indiana Pacers win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/BleacherReport?sub_confirmation=1
Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/f/bleacherreport
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bleacherreport
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bleacherreport
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bleacherreport

Download the B/R App: https://br.app.link/oFaC6OBCxEb

#nba #nbafinals #nbatv