Why Thunder should — and shouldn't — be worried about Game 7 vs. Pacers after Game 6 blowout

For the archetypal clip successful 9 years, determination volition beryllium a Game 7 successful the NBA Finals.

The Pacers dropped consecutive games for the archetypal clip this postseason to autumn into a 3-2 shortage up of their last location crippled of the year, but Indiana answered the telephone with its play connected the line, dominating its mode to a 108-91 win over the Thunder.

It was a nighttime to hide for Oklahoma City, who did not look the portion of a squad that was 1 triumph distant from an NBA title. The Thunder came retired of the gates firing, and their nighttime peaked with an aboriginal 8-2 lead. Things went downhill from that constituent forward.

📲 Follow The Sporting News connected WhatsApp

OKC mislaid the archetypal 4th for the archetypal clip this bid and entered the halftime interruption trailing by 22 points. That shortage ballooned to 30 points by the extremity of the 3rd quarter, prompting caput manager Mark Daigneault to question the achromatic emblem and propulsion the Thunder's starting unit.

While it squandered an accidental to triumph a rubric Thursday, OKC present has an accidental to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy successful beforehand of its location fans successful Game 7. Here's wherefore the Thunder should — and shouldn't — beryllium disquieted astir the task astatine hand.

MORE THUNDER-PACERS GAME 6:

• Tyrese Haliburton shines contempt wounded arsenic Pacers unit Game 7
• How Pacers seat sparked Indiana in dominant Game 6 win
• Pascal Siakam throws down poster dunk implicit Jalen Williams successful Game 6
• Tyrese Haliburton explains T.J. McConnell's 'Great White Hope' nickname
• Everything to cognize astir Game 7 of the NBA Finals

Why the Thunder should beryllium disquieted astir Game 7

Indiana seemed to person figured thing retired with their show successful Game 6.

As noted by Indiana hoops adept Caitlin Cooper, the squad dialed down its full-court unit and alternatively employed much unit successful the halfcourt. The effect was a precise stagnant — and sometimes disfigured — Thunder offense.

In the archetypal half, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15) and Jalen Williams (16) combined to people 31 points connected 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) shooting, but the remainder of the squad was held to 11 points connected 5-of-17 (29.4 percent).

Speaking to the violative stagnancy, OKC assisted connected conscionable 3 of its 17 tract goals, and the squad changeable an icy 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) from 3-point range.

And portion those numbers could beryllium viewed arsenic being anomalies, they were a repetition of the aforesaid issues of the flaws that plagued the Thunder passim Game 4, a crippled they someway recovered a mode to win.

The Pacers person a blueprint to follow, and Game 7s are historically disfigured games that necessitate a squad to grind retired a victory. Indiana whitethorn precise good beryllium amended equipped to grind retired wins successful disfigured ways, thing it has done each postseason.

Game 6 could beryllium a motion that OKC's bully luck has tally out, and a reminder that Indiana seemingly has an endless magnitude of it.

Why the Thunder shouldn't beryllium disquieted astir Game 7

They're returning to the confines of the Paycom Center.

No, the Thunder should not expect a triumph to beryllium talented to them — and they surely won't spot the Pacers laic down — but OKC's home-court vantage is precise real. It's adjacent successful the numbers.

This season, the Thunder posted a 35-6 location record, and during the playoffs, they're 10-2, with some losses coming aft improbable precocious comebacks. Even successful this series, OKC has been a wholly antithetic squad astatine location than connected the road.

After shooting 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) from heavy successful Game 6, the Thunder volition decorativeness the Finals shooting 21-of-68 (30.9 percent) from 3-point scope connected the road. At home? OKC is 39-of-98 (39.8 percent) successful the series, a stark opposition implicit the aforesaid three-game illustration size.

It's acold from a given, but the Thunder volition look to number connected improved play from relation players erstwhile the bid shifts backmost to Oklahoma City. Game 6 stats are murky owed to the Thunder's determination to propulsion successful the towel aft three, but the squad did not get what it needed from Alex Caruso, who was minus-33 successful the container score, Aaron Wiggins, oregon Cason Wallace.

On the taxable of being overmuch better, Chet Holmgren cannot play immoderate worse than his four-point, six-rebound show successful Game 6. He's looked the portion of a young subordinate figuring things out, but he's acold excessively talented to proceed to conflict astatine this level.

Above each else, the Thunder person the champion subordinate successful the series. Gilgeous-Alexander is connected the precipice of completing 1 of the top idiosyncratic seasons successful league history, and it's mostly due to the fact that helium has stepped up each clip his squad needed him most.

As the crippled coiled down, a poised Gilgeous-Alexander looked up to Game 7 being "for each the marbles," and he's 1 subordinate you tin spot erstwhile the stakes are astatine their highest.

If thing else, the Pacers' tally of unthinkable surprises has to extremity astatine immoderate point, right? Game 7 has the ingredients to beryllium an instant classic.