The Thunder finally looked like the Thunder

Even when the Pacers looked like the Pacers

For just the second time this Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder resembled the world-devouring colossus they were in the regular season.

All the hallmarks of OKC’s greatness finally shone through simultaneously. The Thunder were the league’s fourth-most-accurate three-point shooting team in the regular season; they went 14-for-32 beyond the arc. They forced 22 turnovers and scored 32 points off of them, perforating the previously stout Pacer transition defense like a voodoo doll. OKC harassed Tyrese Haliburton (who tweaked a leg muscle in the first quarter that visibly hampered him throughout the match) into a horrible night (zero made field goals!). The role players showed up, particularly the man who saved basketball.

As we’ve said so often this season, the Thunder’s defense was the story. So many Indy possessions ended with just seconds left on the shot clock — and those were the successful ones, the plays that didn’t end in a turnover. It felt like the Pacers had to pass through five ambulatory octopi on every possession.

Indiana was also uncharacteristically sloppy. The passing was tentative, a byproduct of OKC’s aggressiveness, but it went further than that. For one of the few times these playoffs, Carlisle’s players didn’t seem to be on the same page:

Seemingly every time Indy had anything resembling momentum, they’d give up an untimely offensive rebound to Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, or Lu Dort (who combined for a whopping 16 second-chance grabs). They also allowed an egregious and-one to Jalen Williams off a nifty inbounds pass:

In a nutshell, OKC played fantastically and Indiana played poorly.

Yet again, we’ve waited too long to focus on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Is this the first time in NBA history that a team’s defense has overshadowed the monumental efforts of an MVP? Shai dropped a stately 31 and 10, blowing by Andrew Nembhard time and again and picking apart Indy pressure with beautiful dimes to OKC’s revived shooters:

The game MVP, however, was unquestionably Jalen Williams. Williams was a one-cut running back all night, ruthlessly going around, past, and through whichever Indy defender (usually Aaron Nesmith) was in front of him. He outraced the Pacers in transition, made heady cuts, and crushed guys off the dribble like an empty soda can. Williams continually showcased his rare blend of skill, power, and grace. Announcer Mike Breen noted Williams’ incredible balance after he bounced off of Nembhard for a difficult conversion:

And yet, it almost didn’t matter. A buddy of mine texted early in the fourth quarter that Indiana had taken OKC’s best shot in the first half and shaken it off. Despite Haliburton’s ineffectiveness, they mounted a comeback, drawing to within two points with eight minutes left behind a barrage from TJ McConnell and Pascal Siakam. The smell of their black magic started to permeate the arena, whiffs of sulphur and brimstone.

Then, OKC delivered another best punch. A Thunderclap of live-ball turnovers and pick-sixes, a heavy dose of Williams, a bunch of fouls (Indiana was distracted and frustrated by the whistle all night), and that was all she wrote.

The series is now 3-2. Indiana will fight back, just like they did in Game 5. However, I suspect the Thunder will spend a lot of time brainstorming how to slow McConnell. If Haliburton is compromised in even the slightest way, it’ll be impossible for the Pacers to score at volume for 48 minutes on this hellacious team. Hell, it might be impossible anyway!

Game 6s can be weird. The Pacers have proven their resilience; killing them is a lot harder than it should be. Oklahoma City would be wise to abide by zombie-fighting rule #2: Double-tap.