Charles Esther
The Oklahoma City Thunder experienced a painful sense of déjà vu after their Game 1 loss in the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
The Indiana Pacers edged out the Thunder 111-110 at the Paycom Center with Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch 21-foot pull-up jumper hitting with just 0.3 seconds left.
The Thunder had held a commanding 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter but ultimately blew it in a narrow defeat.
This marked only the Thunder’s second home loss in this postseason, and the pattern mirrored their previous late collapse against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.
Back then, the Nuggets overcame a 13-point deficit and took the lead on Aaron Gordon’s 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining to win the series opener.
“It sucks,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said, reflecting on the tough loss. “But we have been here before.”
Young Thunder Team Faces Challenge but Remains Resilient
Oklahoma City boasts the second-youngest roster in NBA Finals history and draws confidence from its ability to rebound from tough setbacks.
During the Nuggets series, the Thunder responded by winning Game 2 by 43 points and eventually clinched the series in seven games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s superstar who scored 38 points in his Finals debut, emphasized the team’s mindset after the loss.
“How you lose doesn’t really matter,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Obviously it sucks — last-second shot, the energy in the arena and stuff like that. But we lost at the end of the day. We lost Game 1.
We’ve lost Game 1 before. On the other side of that, we came out a better team. That’s our goal.”
The Thunder have been perfect so far in bouncing back after losses this postseason, going 4-0 and winning the next games by an average of 20.5 points.
During the regular season, Oklahoma City only lost consecutive games twice despite a 68-win campaign.
Coach Daigneault Urges Focus on the Next Game
Head coach Mark Daigneault challenged his team to “get ourselves to zero,” Thunder slang for not letting emotions from one game carry into the next.
“The playoffs take you to the limit,” Daigneault said. “They put your back against the wall — in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on.
The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game’s a new game. The most important game in the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome. We would’ve liked to win tonight, but tonight was a starting point, not an end point.”
Pacers Show Their Resilience with Another Comeback Win
The Thunder were well aware of Indiana’s comeback capability before falling victim to it again in Game 1.
This marks the fifth time this postseason the Pacers have rallied from deficits of at least 15 points to win, the most by any team since at least 1998.
“You tip your hat to them,” Daigneault said. “They made plays. They’ve done it all playoffs. This is part of their identity. They have a lot of belief. They never think they’re out of it, so they play with great confidence even when their back’s against the wall. They proved that tonight.”
Haliburton’s Clutch Performances Continue
Tyrese Haliburton extended his remarkable streak of clutch performances with his fourth tying or go-ahead basket in the final five seconds during these playoffs.
He hit the game-winning shot over Thunder guard Cason Wallace, regarded as an elite on-ball defender.
“You don’t want to live and die with the best player on the other team taking a game-winner with a couple seconds left,” said veteran Thunder player Alex Caruso.
“You want to try to control the game coming down so it doesn’t fall into that.”
Unfortunately, Oklahoma City failed to do so in this critical moment.
Thunder’s Defense Strong Early but Pacers Adjust
The Thunder’s top-ranked defense dominated the first half, limiting the Pacers to 45 points and forcing 20 turnovers.
However, the Thunder only converted those turnovers into nine points, allowing Indiana to stay within reach.
After halftime, the Pacers improved ball security, committing just five turnovers in the second half while scoring 66 points on 51.1% shooting, including 50% from beyond the arc.
Despite multiple opportunities to close out the game, Oklahoma City missed its last three shots.
This included two crucial misses by Gilgeous-Alexander — a layup in traffic with 1:07 remaining and a midrange fadeaway just before Haliburton’s winner.
Thunder Stay Focused on Series Ahead
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reminded everyone that the series isn’t decided by one game but by the first team to four wins.
“We have four more games to get. They have three. That’s just where we are,” he said.
“We got to understand that, and we got to get to four before they get to three if we want to win the NBA championship.
It’s that simple. It’s not rocket science. We lost Game 1. We have to be better.”
The Thunder’s resilience and experience with overcoming Game 1 losses this postseason offer hope that the series is far from over.
The team will look to bounce back strongly in Game 2 and continue their pursuit of the NBA championship.
