MVP shines when needed and brings Oklahoma a break

Indiana had everything in its hands — a double-digit lead, a packed arena that swallowed up the Thunder, momentum and energy — but their hands trembled in the final moments. Every muscle in every Indiana Pacers player tensed up, and Oklahoma took advantage of it to reclaim the break and tie the NBA Finals — 111–104. The tragic figure was Bennedict Mathurin. He missed three consecutive free throws, committed two fouls before the ball was even inbounded, and killed off any chance and hope the Indiana Pacers had of staging another dramatic comeback like they had already done four times in these playoffs. The series now returns to Oklahoma, and this unforgettable, fantastic final continues. The hero of the game was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who took over in the last four minutes. He scored 15 of Oklahoma’s final 16 points.

Rick Carlisle’s team showed the Thunder right away that if they wanted to avoid another loss in Indianapolis, they’d need to play like a team that had 68 wins in the regular season and dominated the Western Conference. The hosts came out in their usual style, imposing their rhythm immediately — extra passes, beautiful ball movement that lights up the faces of basketball fans, and of course, their signature run-and-gun offense. After the Thunder’s opening points, the three-pointers started raining. When Tyrese Haliburton ripped the net from nearly 10 meters out, the arena nearly collapsed.

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The Pacers had a consistent lead in the opening minutes and played excellent defense, as evidenced by Pascal Siakam grabbing four steals; he was also the best offensive contributor and the only player in double digits for the home team after the first quarter. Shai was quiet, scoring just once in the opening quarter, during which he even sat on the bench — the first time in the Finals he didn’t play the whole first period. Jalen Williams kept the Thunder in the game, aided by an outstanding Alex Caruso on both ends of the floor. After 12 minutes of high-level basketball, Indiana held a one-point lead, but Oklahoma finally found its rhythm in the second quarter.

The MVP caught fire, Caruso kept up his high-level play, and the Thunder pulled ahead. The home players went cold, their shots stopped falling, and they couldn’t penetrate Oklahoma’s packed paint defense, which even shifted into a zone at times. There was even some shoving after a hard foul by Obi Toppin on Caruso, who tried to confront his former New York Knicks teammate, adding drama to the first half. With energy from Toppin and T.J. McConnell off the bench, Tyrese Haliburton woke up just in time. The Pacers' point guard had only three points before the closing minutes but then scored five in a row, including his first free throw of the Finals. That spurred a comeback, and Indiana went into halftime with a three-point lead.

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In the back-and-forth third quarter, Obi Toppin ended the balance with a powerful dunk that metaphorically nailed the Thunder to the floor. Two consecutive threes sent the home crowd into a frenzy and gave Indiana an eight-point lead. The guests were stunned, confirmed by Toppin’s block on Williams’ three-point attempt. Missed free throws late in the quarter, however, prevented Indiana from maintaining a double-digit lead, so they entered the final 12 minutes up by seven.

Oklahoma quickly clawed back at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to Chet Holmgren stepping up. Shai looked exhausted, so someone else needed to take over — and someone did. Basket by basket, the Thunder tied the score again, setting up another dramatic finish in the NBA Finals. The score kept swinging both ways, with Indiana always a step ahead. Oklahoma struggled desperately to secure defensive rebounds, which led them to foul on loose balls and end up in the penalty. Indiana maintained a +4 lead through free throws — until the MVP woke up. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 35 points (11/20 on two-pointers, 1/4 from three, 10/10 free throws), three rebounds, three steals, one block, and — remarkably — zero assists. Jalen Williams added 27 points and seven rebounds, Alex Caruso had 20 points and five steals, and Chet Holmgren contributed 14 points and 15 rebounds.