INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder showed their bounce-back capability in Game 2. The Indiana Pacers know they better do the same in Game 3.
The NBA Finals resume Wednesday night with the series tied at a game apiece, the matchup shifting to Indianapolis for Game 3 and what will be the first finals game in that city in 25 years. And the Pacers know it’s on them to respond after Game 2 wasn’t much of a contest.
It’s obviously possible: The Pacers haven’t lost back-to-back games in three months, going 9-0 after losses in that span. This would be a good time for them to extend that run.
“Biggest game of the year,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said.
That’s technically accurate when said before any finals game, but it does ring especially true in this case. Indiana did what it had to do in Oklahoma City; it got a win and stole home-court advantage. Win three games at home over the next week or so, and the Pacers will be NBA champions. Lose any game at home, and the Thunder get the edge right back.
But the Pacers have shown a penchant for resiliency. It’s much like how Oklahoma City is 17-2 after losses this season (or 18-2, if counting the NBA Cup final); the latest bounce-back effort for the Thunder came in Game 2 after Indiana won Game 1 of the finals.
“I think that we try not to dwell on things,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “As NBA players, just as basketball players in general, it’s easy to make a mistake and dwell on it, give up a bucket or whatever. I feel like we do a great job of getting to the next play.”
When the finals are tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner eventually wins the title 80.5% of the time. It’s a big, big game and everybody knows the stakes.
“I think we just have to keep finding ways to get better as a group,” Thunder guard and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “If we continue to do that, we’ll be just fine. If we’ve struggled in an area, that’s an area we can get better at. We have to attack that opportunity. I think Game 3 is a perfect example of that.”
Haliburton’s status
Haliburton was limping after Game 2 and acknowledged there’s an issue with his lower leg. He didn’t offer much in the way of details, and it doesn’t matter. He’s playing.
“He practiced. He went through everything,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I know he has some discomfort. He feels it. But each day it’s getting better. I don’t think you’re going to hear him making a big deal out of it. This is the time of year where it just doesn’t get any better than this.”
Pacers at home
The Thunder have a big home-court edge thanks to their crowd at Paycom Center. The Pacers are hoping for just as much energy — if not more — from their crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Games 3 and 4.
And the Thunder know what’s coming.
“That’s one thing we have to be ready for coming in here, is understand they’re going to be playing with a lot of energy,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They play very well here. They play very comfortable here. We’ve got to level up to that if we want to give ourselves a chance to compete.”
Long time coming
Indiana’s Myles Turner has played in 346 games at home with the Pacers, including playoffs — by far more than anyone else on the team.
No. 347 will be his first there in the NBA Finals.
“I think the city’s been waiting for an opportunity like this. I expect a hell of an environment (Wednesday),” Turner said. “I know it’s going to be. It’s exciting times for everybody, just to experience the finals in Indianapolis.”
Thunder in the first half
The Thunder won the first and second quarters in Games 1 and 2, taking a 12-point halftime lead in Game 1 and an 18-point halftime lead in Game 2.
Indiana knows that can’t keep happening. Oklahoma City is 63-9 with halftime leads this season.
“Obviously it’s going to be a different challenge coming on the road,” Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. “This place will be rowdy. They’ll be excited to cheer on their team. For us, I think just sticking with the details of the stuff that we’ve talked about as a team that are important to win the game.”
Winning on the road
Road teams are still winning at about a 44% clip in these playoffs, which is on pace to be the best record in 30 years. Entering Wednesday, road teams are 35-44 in this postseason.
Teams won road games at a 45% clip in 1995.
That doesn’t count the 2020 COVID-19 “bubble” playoffs, where everybody was in one spot at Lake Buena Vista, Florida and the “road” winning percentage was .518 — 43-40.
Oklahoma City is 4-3 on the road in these playoffs. Indiana is 7-3.
The best league-wide road record for a playoff season was in 1966 — 14-13, a .519 winning percentage.
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