General NBA thread

[Big John]

No mention that the Pacers Halliburton is from Oshkosh WI?

[Ted$8roadFan]

OKC gets its revenge, and wins Game 2. Game 3 shifts to Indiana, and is a must-win for the Pacers.

[SEWIGuy]

I don't think game 3 is in any way a "must win" for the Pacers.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't think game 3 is in any way a "must win" for the Pacers.

If anything, this might have been a "must win" for the Thunder.  OKC looks like they are in trouble now.

[jgb191]

This Finals is still far from over.  Assuming the Thunder hold serve (undefeated at home) the rest of the Finals, they only need to win one of the next two (Game Four or Game Six) in Indianapolis.  I originally predicted Thunder in Six and I'll stick with it.

This Finals is not a mismatch like it was last year.  Last year's finals was over before it even started....the biggest Finals mismatch since the 2001 Finals.

[Henry]

Game 4 should be a barometer for how the rest of the series plays out. That game is now a must-win for the Thunder, as if the Pacers should win it as well, we may be looking at the biggest Finals upset since 2016. Then again, OKC is the best team in the NBA for a reason, so they should somehow find a way to return the favor in Indy and tie the series up again. I find it amusing that the Pacers have never lost in the postseason when Caitlin Clark is in the stands, so she's obviously their good-luck charm; we'll have to see if she shows up at Gainbridge Fieldhouse again.

[Max Rockatansky]

The Pacers had that game in the bag but gagged it away.  I guess both teams are even now (literally since it is now 2-2) in choking games they should have won away.  I'm enjoying this series so far, it has been fun to watch two competitive teams in the Finals.

[Henry]

The Thunder are now one win away from their first NBA championship (or second, if you include the Sonics' 1979 title).

[Bobby5280]

This game was pretty stressful to watch (at least for me anyway). It was looking like the Pacers were going to finally catch up to the Thunder in the 4th quarter. Thankfully the Thunder found another gear and pulled away for good. They caught a major break with Halliburton playing obviously hurt; the guy finished with zero field goals. T.J. McDonald played a really good game and made up some of that point difference lost with Halliburton.

[Life in Paradise]

This game was pretty stressful to watch (at least for me anyway). It was looking like the Pacers were going to finally catch up to the Thunder in the 4th quarter. Thankfully the Thunder found another gear and pulled away for good. They caught a major break with Halliburton playing obviously hurt; the guy finished with zero field goals. T.J. McDonald played a really good game and made up some of that point difference lost with Halliburton.

TJ McConnell

[bing101]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45539931/buss-family-agrees-sell-lakers-mark-walter-sources-say

The Buss Family agrees to sell the Los Angeles Lakers.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I wonder if the Thunder will close out the series tonight, or if the Pacers have enough juice (and pride) to extend the series to Game 7.

[Bobby5280]

At the end of the Game 5 broadcast they showed a stat that 75% of the time the team that wins Game 5 after the series is tied 2-2 goes on to win the title. DraftKings has the Thunder favored by 6 points in Game 6. FanDuel has the Thunder at -6.5. Tyrese Haliburton is still listed as questionable due the calf strain he suffered in Game 5.

If the Thunder can do so, they need to close out the series tonight in Indianapolis. They don't need to fart around and let it go to Game 7. The outcome may not go the way it did when the Thunder routed the Nuggets in that Game 7 match. The Thunder would have a very loud home crowd on their side. Considering how well the Thunder played all season if they were to falter in Game 7 the level of disappointment would just be staggering. A one-game, winner-takes-all situation would be a very tense scenario.

[mgk920]

I see that this year the Stanley Cup was awarded before the Larry O'Brien trophy.  What one is first is always a fun speculation.

Mike

[Henry]

At the end of the Game 5 broadcast they showed a stat that 75% of the time the team that wins Game 5 after the series is tied 2-2 goes on to win the title. DraftKings has the Thunder favored by 6 points in Game 6. FanDuel has the Thunder at -6.5. Tyrese Haliburton is still listed as questionable due the calf strain he suffered in Game 5.

If the Thunder can do so, they need to close out the series tonight in Indianapolis. They don't need to fart around and let it go to Game 7. The outcome may not go the way it did when the Thunder routed the Nuggets in that Game 7 match. The Thunder would have a very loud home crowd on their side. Considering how well the Thunder played all season if they were to falter in Game 7 the level of disappointment would just be staggering. A one-game, winner-takes-all situation would be a very tense scenario.

Looks like we're headed towards Game 7, with the Pacers building an insurmountable lead. If so, it will now be the closest they've ever come to winning a championship, surpassing the 4-2 loss to the Lakers a quarter-century ago.

[jgb191]

Home court or no home court -- all the pressure is now squarely on the Thunder to win in Game Seven!  Statistically since returning to the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 format, it's been a 50/50 probability for the home team in Game Seven's -- The Heat won at home in 2013, and the Cavs won on the road in 2016.  This will be the third Game Seven since the reverted format.

[Henry]

Home court or no home court -- all the pressure is now squarely on the Thunder to win in Game Seven!  Statistically since returning to the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 format, it's been a 50/50 probability for the home team in Game Seven's -- The Heat won at home in 2013, and the Cavs won on the road in 2016.  This will be the third Game Seven since the reverted format.

Coincidence that LeBron James was on both previous Game 7 winning teams. I knew the Thunder would never win in Indy anyway, so their last chance is at home, but if they lose, I can see it being attributed to a curse placed on them by the former Sonics fans, plus OKC fans don't care about what happened 46 years ago or any other time in Seattle either.

[Max Rockatansky]

Home court or no home court -- all the pressure is now squarely on the Thunder to win in Game Seven!  Statistically since returning to the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 format, it's been a 50/50 probability for the home team in Game Seven's -- The Heat won at home in 2013, and the Cavs won on the road in 2016.  This will be the third Game Seven since the reverted format.

Coincidence that LeBron James was on both previous Game 7 winning teams. I knew the Thunder would never win in Indy anyway, so their last chance is at home, but if they lose, I can see it being attributed to a curse placed on them by the former Sonics fans, plus OKC fans don't care about what happened 46 years ago or any other time in Seattle either.

Completely phoning in a Game 6 isn't attributable to curses.