It all felt lost for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the dying minutes of the third quarter in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, with a 1-2 series deficit, the Pacers were swiftly pulling away, and a historic season looked hushed to disappointment. The Pacers dashed ahead to their largest advantage, 10, and OKC’s offense looked frozen.
Jalen Williams hit a fading elbow jumper with 3.2 seconds left in the period to bring the deficit to seven. This shot sparked a Thunderstorm Warning inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the fourth quarter.
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The Pacers have been untouchable in clutch time throughout the entire postseason. The Thunder flipped the script in a chaotic Game 4 victory.
Caruso’s Historic Bench Impact
Alex Caruso was not just impactful, but historic.
The Carushow was cinematic; he became the first player in NBA Finals history to have 20+ points and 5+ steals off the bench. He continues to stage Sam Presti as a genius.
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Caruso continues to be the ultimate competitor in the postseason. After scoring zero 20-point games for the Thunder in the regular season, AC tallied his third in the playoffs.
His defense was as crucial as always, taking on any matchup sent his way. Pacers players shot 5/12 overall and 2/6 from three-point range, with three turnovers defended by Caruso.
Holmgren Emits Thunder Culture
At the 8:49 mark in the first quarter, Chet Holmgren rolled over his ankle and fell to the ground. Thunder fans held their breath as the former second-overall pick looked to be in pain once again.
Holmgren would then go on to play 34 more minutes after this moment. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told him that they needed him, and he responded.
Holmgren’s game may not pop up as anything out of the ordinary on the box score, with 14 points and 15 rebounds, along with only one block. He was an instrumental part in the Thunder’s comeback victory.
The Pacers converted an abysmal 4/22 (18.2%) and 0/9 from three on shots defended by Holmgren. The Pacers targeted him on switches throughout crunch time, and he responded, allowing zero makes on four attempts.
Therefore, Game 4 was just another crucial moment in Holmgren’s young career.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Moment
The Pacers threw everything at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Games 3 and 4. He had a series-low 24 points in Game 3 and looked worn down at times throughout.
He had a similar start in Game 4. Through the first three quarters, Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points and only two free throw attempts, along with being -16.
Andrew Nembhard continued his excellent display of defensive ball denial, neutralizing the MVP once again. Mark Daigneault made a crucial adjustment in the fourth quarter that changed everything for SGA and the Thunder.
The Thunder began to use JDub as a decoy during the clutch minutes, utilizing him to switch Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith to gain a favorable matchup for SGA. Gilgeous-Alexander would go on to score 14 of his 15 fourth-quarter points in the clutch.
SGA hunted Nesmith every time down, shooting 3/4 with him as his matchup. Including his MVP moment, a stepback jumper with under three minutes left to give OKC the permanent advantage.
Gilgeous-Alexander would become the first player since Jerry West in 1962 to have 35 points with zero assists in a Finals game.
The Thunder continue to make noise in this run, and two wins in three games is all that stands between them and the franchise’s first NBA Championship.
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