Oklahoma humiliated at home, there will be a seventh game!

Indiana slapped Oklahoma, humiliated them, and celebrated on their home court. The Pacers were under pressure to win—had they lost, the Thunder would have lifted the NBA championship trophy in front of Indiana’s fans. Rick Carlisle’s players didn’t want to witness that, and they gave the visitors from Oklahoma a basketball lesson. They won 108–91, and by the end of the third quarter, the lead was 30 points, prompting Mark Daigneault to “throw in the towel” and send in the reserves for the final period.

Nothing suggested that Oklahoma, the best team in the league, would be humiliated like this. The Thunder started the game strong, taking a 10–2 lead. It would be unfair to say they got complacent, especially since they led by 8 points just two minutes into the game, but something definitely changed. That shift in energy and tempo came from T.J. McConnell. The undersized point guard once again got low on defense, did the dirty work, fired up the crowd, and—more importantly—his teammates. The Pacers started pouring in points, and by the end of the second quarter, thanks to Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, they pulled ahead by 22.

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The beginning of the third quarter was almost tragicomic—neither team could buy a basket, and the first points came four minutes in, scored by Haliburton. Then Myles Turner and Ben Sheppard extended the lead to +28. For Oklahoma, only Isaiah Hartenstein was scoring, later joined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder cut the lead to 19, but then—simply put—they fell apart. Indiana’s shooting came back to life, Andrew Nembhard and Siakam hit from long range, and Sheppard nailed a buzzer-beating three for a huge 30-point lead. The game was effectively over after three quarters.

Daigneault had no choice but to send in his bench to avoid injuries. Carlisle, on the other hand, kept his starters on the floor a bit longer to send a message to his younger counterpart: if he doesn’t prepare better for Game 7, Indiana will be the team lifting the trophy on enemy ground. Now we’re headed for a Game 7—a do-or-die showdown. This will be the first Game 7 in the Finals since 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers completed the greatest comeback in basketball history and, after LeBron James’ legendary block and Kyrie Irving’s clutch three, defeated the iconic 73–9 Golden State Warriors.