Harry 14+10 wins Thunder, Chet is abandoned, Alexander cuts 38+5, The five desperate guys are too tricky

On June 6, 2025, the first NBA Finals started as scheduled, with the Thunder playing against the Pacers at home. In this critical showdown, the Thunder made an important lineup adjustment and decided to replace Harten with Carson Wallace. This change is obviously because the Thunder chose to engage in a tactical game with their opponents in order to deal with the Pacers. At the beginning of the game, the double-in-one battle started a fierce confrontation.

In the first quarter, Alexander and Jewish of the Thunder quickly led the team to a 7-0 start, with a rainbow of momentum. The Pacers were jointly contributed by Sika and Turner. After Nemhard's three-pointer hit, the Pacers scored a 10-3 climax, narrowing the gap to a draw. At this time, Alexander stepped forward and scored 4 points in a row to stop the Pacers' counterattack. Halliburton and Caruso then scored three-pointers. At the end of the quarter, the Thunder took 9 points to lead through Alexander's free throw, ending the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Pacers hit a three-pointer, narrowing the gap, while the Thunder's Wiggins responded with a tough breakthrough. After Sika and Shepard joined forces to contribute 5 points, Jewe and Chet made all four free throws to return. The Pacers were not to be outdone, and Halliburton and Turner scored one after another, narrowing the gap to 4 points at one point. The Thunder's Dort stood up at this time and made three consecutive three-pointers to help the team re-establish a safer lead. At the end of the half, the Thunder led by 12 points.

The change of sides and the battle was again, Alexander hit the middle distance, and the Thunder's leading advantage gradually expanded. Although Turner and Sika responded with a 4-pointer, Alexander quickly made another move. In the subsequent games, Javi and Carson Wallace also scored consecutively, and the Thunder expanded their advantage to double digits again. The Pacers failed to make an effective counterattack and were still 9 points behind at the end of the third quarter.

entered the final quarter of the decisive victory. After three consecutive quarters of slump, the Thunder finally recovered its form, broke through and killed one after another, and expanded the Thunder's lead to 15 points. However, the Pacers did not give up, relying on Turner to score continuously to narrow the gap to just 4 points left. At this time, the Thunder made tactical adjustments and replaced Chett, using five small lineups of Alexander, Jewway, Caruso, Dort and Wallace. Finally, despite the Pacers' fierce counterattack at the last moment, the scores of Sika and Nesmith helped them narrow the gap to 1 point in 22 seconds, Alexander failed to hit a key free throw, Halliburton scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and the Pacers narrowly defeated the Thunder 111-110.

Judging from the player's performance, the Pacers' substitute depth has become a key factor in their victory. Although Halliburton did not perform at the super level, scoring 12 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for 5 of 11 shots, his stability at critical moments still showed his value. Although he lacks enough singles breakthrough ability and plays too rationally, his calmness is equally admirable as a big heart. Sika's performance is crucial if the Pacers hope to put more pressure on the Thunder in the next series. Facing the Thunder’s defense loopholes - they have problems defending high forward players, Sika must attack the opponent’s inside more actively. Sika contributed 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in this game, performing relatively well. In terms of substitutes, McConaughey and Topin's performance is also worthy of recognition. McConaughey made 4 of 6 shots in the game, scored 9 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists. With his extensive experience and outstanding ball quotation, he played an important role in the Pacers' substitute lineup. Toppin performed well outside the three-point line, making 6 of 9 three-pointers, scoring 17 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. If Turner chooses to leave the team this summer, Toppin has every potential to become the Pacers' starting inside. In terms of the Thunder, the team's defensive strength cannot be underestimated, and the defensive end gives the Pacers almost no chance to take action easily. Through high-intensity defense and reduced turnovers, the Thunder did a great job of controlling the rhythm. Chet failed to perform as well in the Pacers' tough inside defense in this game. He made 2 of 9 shots in the game, scored only 6 points and 6 rebounds, and was abandoned at the critical moment. The effect of the five small lineups was not satisfactory. Due to the opponent's inside player's defensive advantage, Chet may have difficulty playing the role of a core player throughout the series. Javi also failed to show his best self, making 6 of 18 shots in the game, scoring 17 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Despite this, there is no doubt that Jiewei's ability is, and after adjustment, he can still make important contributions to Thunder. Caruso and Dort performed very well. Caruso contributed 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, while Dort scored 15 points and 4 rebounds.

Alexander is undoubtedly the most brilliant player in the Thunder game. He showed his super-huge leadership. Faced with the Pacers Nemhard's strict defense, he still maintained efficient scoring output, contributing 38 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Whether it is emergency stop jump shot or field control ability, Alexander has demonstrated extremely high basketball IQ and game influence. For the Thunder, Alexander's performance is the key to the team's ability to move forward in future games.

In general, the Pacers were able to defeat the Thunder thanks to the explosion of substitute depth and the stable performance of the team's core players. The Thunder need to adjust their strategies in the next game, especially in the defense of the inside, and to make more responses when facing a tall forward. What do you think about the future performance of these two teams?