Finals G3 Preview: Alexander aims to win the third game, the Pacers lead only 1 minute and 56 seconds in the first two games

At 8:30 am on June 12, the Pacers will face the Thunder at home to start the third game of the finals. In the first two games, both sides won one victory, and the total score was tied 1-1. In the critical third game, who can win and take the lead in the total score?

"The goal now is to win the third game," Alexander said after training. "This is a first three-win match. It's like a whiteboard, start over - 1-1, 0-0, first three-win."

After Halliburton ended the first game with a thrilling quasi-final win, Alexander won the Thunder in the second game. The MVP scored 72 points in the first two finals, setting a record for the first two career finals.

Halliburton limped some time in the G2 defeat, and the Thunder pressed him with multiple defensive players in an attempt to force the ball to move to Siakam or other Pacers' offensive points. Halliburton said today that he does have a "calf problem" that affects his form, but it will not affect his playing in G3 at home - this is the first time that the Pacers have hosted the NBA Finals at home since losing to the Lakers in 2000.

"Home is like our sixth man," Nembhard said, "it brings us energy and unites us, which will be exciting."

Pacers coach Carlisle is rushing to his second NBA championship in his head coaching career, constantly reminding young teams: Don't be disturbed by any of the pros and cons of the first two games of the series when embracing their home advantage.

"Nothing that has happened except for the big score," Carlisle said. "We have to look forward." The Pacers led only 0.3 seconds in the first game and only 1 minute and 56 seconds in the first two games totaling 96 minutes. The team looks forward to boosting morale at home and finding ways to limit Alexander. Alexander has two days to prepare since the Thunder G2 won 123-107, and he understands that the Pacers may deal with themselves with a brand new defensive strategy.

"The series is full of variables, and it's definitely a temptation process," Alexander said. "But there are too many adjustments at the same time, it's almost hard to predict how they will target you. You can only be fully prepared and stay as sharp as possible, and that's what I see."

For the Pacers, resilience is a key trait for the team's success, who have achieved a rebound after four losses in the playoffs (4-0 in the second game after the loss).

Carlisle stressed that mistakes must be reduced while maintaining offensive impact. Halliburton made five turnovers in the second game (to tie the playoff career record). "We will try our best to solve these problems," Carlisle said. "Halliburton has always performed well in ball stability, but the teams we are facing now have made everyone turnovers throughout the playoffs. We must maintain a very high spatial awareness in all actions and can't play too cautiously against the Thunder or you will never be able to score."

The Thunder's defensive strategy may continue the thinking of the first two games in the third game until the Pacers prove that they can handle the pressure of holding the ball. Almost no one can guess the tactical changes of Degenot. He used over 700 squad combinations in the regular season (most in the league) and found a unique squad in the second game to gain an advantage on the rebound.

"We are ready to play at any time," Jaylen Williams said. "Everyone is waiting for an opportunity. We have used too many different teams throughout the season, so no one will be surprised when the coach wants to play a smaller lineup and adjust his strategy."

Degnott does not think that changing the lineup is his credit, nor does he worry about the tactics being understood. The only advantage he hopes the Thunder will have at the end of the game is more ball rights than their opponents - in his opinion, this is the key to G3's 2-1 series lead.

"The overall battle we are trying to win is a ball-right battle, and there are different ways," said Dagnott. "In the first game we won by forcing our opponents to make mistakes. This is the way we win when playing a small roster; in the second game we performed better on the rebound, which is the advantage of playing a big roster. We have the flexibility and each game is different."

Injury List

Thunder: Nikola Topic is missing

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson, Jares Walker is missing

ESPN predicts G3 winning rate: Thunder 55.2%, Pacers 44.8%