The Indiana Pacers dominated in Game 6, coming away with a 108-91 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With their backs against the wall, the Pacers produced again, instilling enough confidence in NBA legend Isiah Thomas to claim that they will win it all in Game 7. Thomas explained why after the events of Game 6 on “NBA TV” and said:
“I’m going to go with Indiana in an upset in Game 7. I just think, because of tonight, the confidence that they played with, and maybe they shook the confidence of one or two of OKC’s players, and that’s all you need in a seven-game series.”
“I think Indiana’s guys, because they don’t depend on one guy to get 25, they’ve got 5-6 guys who get 15-16-17. They’re very comfortable in that range, and I think their game will travel in a Game 7.”
Thomas was one of the few people who supported Indiana before the Finals began, claiming that they would win it in six. He revisited this on the broadcast and said:
“I thought they blew Game 4 here, but I think that they are capable of winning Game 7 in OKC.”
A co-panelist addressed how rare it is for teams to win Game 7s on the road, considering it has only happened five times in league history. The last known occurrence was the Cavaliers’ iconic 3-1 comeback to win it all in 2016 – another event predicted by Thomas.
Indiana’s win is monumental, especially considering all the factors going against them heading into this game. A 109-120 loss in Game 5 would have already had an impact on the team’s morale, but Tyrese Haliburton‘s calf injury was bound to create more challenges.
Regardless, the Pacers’ young star played through the injury, still nursing it ahead of the next game. The 25-year-old, who had an abysmal performance in the previous game, came through for his team on Thursday night.
Haliburton notched a crucial 14 points and five assists to support the efforts of Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Obi Toppin.
Toppin, the leading scorer for the Pacers, led the offensive charge with 20 points on the night. This was closely matched by Nembhard’s 17 points and three steals, and Siakam’s 16 points and 13 rebounds for the game.
Indiana saw balanced scoring across the board, with six players notching double-digit scoring. A solid 30-point cushion in the first half, spurred by timely baskets by the team, gave the Pacers enough momentum to ride out the rest of the game in comfortable fashion.
The Thunder, however, are not a team to be taken lightly. Considering their 31-point outburst in the final frame, it is important for the Pacers not to hang on their laurels after this win.
In a decisive Game 7 to decide the winner of the series, Indiana will hope to come forward with their best efforts on Sunday night to eventually lift the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy.
