Pacers and Thunder Battle for Shadow Trophy

OKLAHOMA, MONDAY — The upcoming match between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be titled the battle for the shadow championship trophy, as history favors the winner of game five of the NBA finals. Whoever wins this crucial match will be closer to achieving the actual championship title.

The Pacers tasted their own poison. The dramatic late comeback that was the hallmark of Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates throughout the playoffs, including stealing game one, actually caused the Pacers to lose to the Thunder in game four, on Saturday (6/14/2025) WIB at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Stadium, Indianapolis. The Pacers lost with a score of 104-111. The final series between the Pacers and Thunder was again balanced at 2-2.

The Thunder are returning home with a profit. They will host the Pacers in Game Five at the Paycom Center on Tuesday (17/6/2025) at 07:30 WIB. If they win, the Thunder will need just one more victory in the last two games to become champions. If they lose, they will have to travel for a do-or-die Game Six.

Conversely, a similar urgency is felt by the Pacers. The best-of-seven format final will be determined in the last three games. Game five is the key. As quoted from the official NBA website, 74.2 percent of teams that win game five in a tied series of 2-2 will emerge as champions.

In the last decade, there have been three instances when the situation was tied just before the fifth game of the finals. Interestingly, all the teams that won that game have successfully emerged as champions. They are the Golden State Warriors in 2023 and 2015, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. All three lifted the trophy in the sixth game.

The momentum has shifted. Greater pressure is on the shoulders of the Pacers, as the visitors. Nevertheless, Haliburton is not worried. "This group has shown resilience throughout the year. I am excited to welcome game five," said Haliburton, who was the hero of victory in game one at the Thunder's home.

Crucial matches are certainly related to the mentality of the players. In line with this, experience will play a significant role. Coincidentally, the Pacers and Thunder have never won a championship throughout NBA history. They are also reinforced by many young players who are experiencing the finals for the first time this season.

Attention is drawn to one veteran player from each team, namely Alex Caruso in the Thunder and Pascal Siakam in the Pacers. They are the only ones with championship rings among all the players. Caruso and Siakam have already demonstrated how crucial their roles have been throughout the finals series.

Caruso is not a starter like Siakam. He starts games on the bench. However, the former Los Angeles Lakers guard's influence is always evident on both ends of the court. Caruso has scored 20 points twice in the finals. Interestingly, both times have always resulted in Thunder winning over the Pacers.

In the other two games, games one and three when Caruso only contributed an average of 9.5 points, the Thunder lost. The 31-year-old defensive specialist, the oldest on the Thunder, is also the heart of the team's defense. He has made 10 steals in four games against the Pacers, the most of any player on either team.

Caruso proved that the Thunder's decision to acquire him from the Chicago Bulls early in the season was the best decision. "He's a true competitor. He's proven that throughout his career, time and time again, especially in these playoffs. I can't say enough about his competitive mentality," Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault said.

Siakam, the 2024-25 Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player, is no less important. He was the Pacers' leading scorer in the finals with an average of 18.8 points. The problem is, the Thunder seem to have found the right recipe to dampen the former Toronto Raptors forward.

Siakam did little during the Thunder's dramatic fourth-quarter comeback. He attempted one missed 3-pointer and grabbed one rebound. Otherwise, he was invisible. The Pacers, who led by seven points early in the quarter, were forced to surrender 104-111.

Head Coach of the Pacers, Rick Carlisle, stated that Siakam's presence is needed in the next match. "He needs to touch the ball more if we want to win. His experience has been a key factor in the growth of this team, which is filled with young players. We must ensure his involvement," he said.

The Pacers' defense will also play a significant role in the upcoming match. They must slow down this season's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has averaged 32.8 points in the finals for the Thunder. The Pacers' squad cannot afford to be complacent again, as they were at the end of game four.

The Pacers were able to sufficiently slow down Shai in the first three quarters of the previous game. Shai only scored 20 points in the first three quarters. However, after that, he produced 15 points in just the final quarter. This total nearly matched the entire Pacers squad's score in that quarter (17).

Shai's dominance seems to have become a guarantee in every match. Only once, when Shai failed to contribute more than 30 points to the Pacers' basket, specifically in game three (24 points), did the Thunder lose 107-116. This reality forces the Pacers to make one of two choices to win: slow down Shai or contain his teammates. (AP/REUTERS)