NBA Finals 2025: Pacers return home in the driver’s seat

The victory that the Pacers achieved in game 1 of the finals against the Thunder places them in the driver of the series driver.

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Oklahoma City – Time passes, and things do not change.

The Indiana Pacers They are still underestimated, and in silence, they are still a candidate hidden in broad daylight.

I am not minimizing the level of Oklahoma City Thunderthat for something was the best NBA team during the regular season, and for something he is a candidate in these finals.

However, it is striking to hear so much forcefulness since the series is 1 to 1, and essentially The Pacers have recovered the locality.

I do not discover the gunpowder if I say that the defensive of Thunder is overwhelming, and the main cause by which Indiana has become a machine to commit ball losses, and has not looked at anything like that unstoppable offensive machinery in these first two games of the finals.

The criticisms of Tyrese Haliburtonafter scoring 17 points and committing five losses-the maximum amount he has committed in a game throughout the year-in game 2, they are the order of the day.

And beyond whether anyone does not consider it a super star, the reality is that its importance for the Pacers is undeniable; He is Indiana’s identity.

Of course, the paers need to be more aggressive, since their participation is essential for Indiana’s attack to flow.

Much easier to say it to do it, but the reality is that the Pacers had a +12 differential with Haliburton on the court in game 1, and one of -11 without it.

In the second game, the coach Rick Carlisle He gave Haliburton rest in the first quarter when Indiana lost 21-20; When the Pacers holder returned to the court, Indiana was down 40-27.

In other words, Haliburton is essential for Indiana’s success, and far from being the main problem of the Pacers after these first two games.

The reality is that Indiana’s depth is one of her greatest attributes.

However, unlike what happened on their way at the Conference of the East, the Pacers today ranked with a deeper team than them; The Bank of the Thunder scored 48 against 34 of his Indiana peers in game 2.

The series now moves to Indiana, and historically role players play better when they sleep in their beds, and have the support of fans and the familiarity of their hoops.

Specifically, the contribution of Bennedict Mathurinan offensively gifted player must be a condition sine qua non In matches at home.

Each rival is its world, and perhaps the Thunder demands that Indiana’s headlines play heavier minutes, or that the rotation is attached.

But Indiana arrived here thanks to a genuine team effort, and I doubt that Carlisle kicked the helm and changes prematurely when the Pacers did what they owed in the condition of visitors.

What has to happen is that the paers must attack the paint more, and use the aggressiveness of the defensive of the Thunder against him. Indiana must play with rhythm and mark the entrance pattern in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Particularly Pascal Siakamwho is the stabilizer spark plug of these Pacers, must be more protagonist, since it has a more favorable match, and it is the one who best yields in one in one in the middle of the court.

Nor can the sun be covered with a finger, and deny that the first two games of these finals were played primarily to the rhythm of the Thunder, which was winning for 15 goals in the first game and for 23 in the second.

However, in the midst of all this analysis, we seem to ignore the most obvious reality that is in front of our eyes.

Indiana achieved the most difficult, and a game was “stolen” as a visitor.

The world continues to underestimate this Indiana team, even when they achieve their mission.

I ask them: if a match is even, who is encouraged to bet against the Pacers in the last quarter, considering what we have seen in these playoffs?

I tell themselves, do not make the mistake made by so many others in this last month: underestimate the Pacers.

Thunder can be the favorite, but The team in the driver’s seat is the Pacers.

The finals are tied to 1, and the series moves to Indiana, a scenario signed by any pang fan before starting this decisive stage.