Everyone loves a blowout until they actually have to sit through one. But Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals? Honestly, it was the exact opposite. If you missed it, the Indiana Pacers basically walked into the Paycom Center and snatched the soul out of Oklahoma City in a 111-110 thriller. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. The Thunder were 18-game favorites based on the regular season standings. That is a massive gap.
It was the kind of game that reminds you why we even bother with the 82-game "marathon."
The 15-Point Ghost in the Machine
People keep talking about the "Pacers DNA," and Kinda, I get it now. Before this series even started, Indiana had already set an NBA record by coming back from 15 points down four separate times in the 2025 playoffs. In Game 1, they made it five.
With 9:42 left in the fourth quarter, the Thunder led 94-79. The crowd was deafening. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the newly minted MVP, was doing SGA things—gliding to the rim, hitting that weirdly rhythmic mid-range jumper, and looking completely untouchable. He finished with 38 points. But then, Rick Carlisle did something that felt like a desperation move at the time: he subbed in five guys at once.
Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, and Myles Turner. That was the lineup.
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They didn't just play basketball; they turned the game into a track meet.
Breaking Down the 32-16 Run
The math here is actually pretty wild. While the Thunder were busy shooting 4-of-16 in the closing stretch, the Pacers were clinical. It wasn't just one guy.
- Obi Toppin came off the bench and looked like a flamethrower. He hit two massive threes during that run.
- Myles Turner was a monster on the glass, keeping possessions alive that should have been dead.
- Andrew Nembhard hit a triple that felt like it sucked the air out of the arena.
The Thunder looked shell-shocked. Mark Daigneault, who is usually a wizard with adjustments, watched as his team’s lead evaporated. It’s rare to see a 68-win team look that disorganized on their own floor.
Why Tyrese Haliburton Is Different
There is a specific kind of pressure that comes with the Finals. Most young stars shrink. Haliburton? He seemed to grow about three inches taller in the final two minutes.
With 0.3 seconds left on the clock, he pulled up for a jumper that will probably be in Pacers highlight reels for the next thirty years. Swish. 111-110. No celebratory dance, no "choke" signs. Just a hug for his dad in the tunnel.
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That shot was his fifth go-ahead or game-tying bucket in the final 30 seconds of a game during that 2025 post-season run. He broke Ray Allen's 2009 record. Think about that for a second. He surpassed one of the greatest shooters ever in terms of late-game clutch efficiency in a single playoff run.
The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Problem
You can't talk about Game 1 without acknowledging that Shai was actually incredible. He had 38. The problem was the supporting cast.
Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are stars, but in that fourth quarter, they were spectators. SGA scored 10 points in the final ten minutes; the rest of the Thunder combined for exactly six. That is not how you win a championship.
Indiana’s defense, led by Pascal Siakam—who had a quiet but vital 19 points and 10 boards—focused entirely on making anyone other than Shai beat them. It worked.
Tactical Shifts Nobody Saw Coming
The Thunder usually lean on their length, but they got out-run. Literally. Analysts later pointed out that both teams combined to run 38.4 miles during the game. That is an absurd amount of ground to cover.
Indiana played "small ball" better than the team that invented the modern version of it. By putting Myles Turner at the five and surrounding him with four shooters, they forced Chet Holmgren out of the paint. Without Chet there to block shots, the rim was basically an open door for Nembhard and Haliburton.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Game
The narrative after Game 1 was that the Thunder "choked."
I don't think that's fair.
The Pacers didn't win because OKC failed; they won because they forced OKC into a style of play that they weren't ready for. The Thunder are used to controlling the tempo. Indiana turned the game into chaos. In chaos, the team with the most experience in close games usually wins. And because the Pacers had played so many "heart-attack" games just to get to the Finals, they were comfortable in the fire.
Lessons for the Future
If you're looking at how the modern NBA is evolving, Game 1 was a blueprint. It showed that:
- Transition Points Matter: Indiana's bench, led by T.J. McConnell, pushed the pace every single time OKC missed.
- Home Court is Fragile: Winning 68 games doesn't mean a thing if you can't close out a 15-point lead in the fourth.
- The Luxury Tax Myth: This was the first Finals in the salary cap era without a luxury tax team. It proves you don't have to overspend to build a winner; you just have to build a team.
The Thunder eventually won the 2025 title in seven games, but Game 1 remains the most important chapter. It set the tone for the most competitive Finals since 2016. It proved that the Pacers belonged on that stage, even if the "experts" thought they were just happy to be there.
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How to Apply These Insights
If you're following the current 2025-26 season, watch the turnover differentials. The Pacers won Game 1 despite some messy possessions early on because they limited their mistakes when it counted.
Watch the "miles run" stats on the NBA app. Teams that are out-working their opponents by two or three miles a game are consistently beating more talented rosters.
Focus on the bench production. In Game 1, Indiana's bench outscored OKC's unit significantly. If you're betting or just analyzing, look for the teams that can go 10 deep without a massive drop-off in defensive intensity.
Keep an eye on the injury reports for the upcoming rematches. As we saw in the later games of that series, one injury—like the one Haliburton eventually suffered—can flip the entire script. For now, Game 1 stands as a masterclass in resilience.
Check the current standings for the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder. Both teams are currently leading their respective conferences as of January 2026. Comparing their defensive rotations to the 2025 Pacers model will give you a clear idea of who is built for a June run and who is just a regular-season wonder.