Finals Game Four: Business Picks Up
The Oklahoma City Thunder deliver a late comeback in Game Four of the NBA Finals
There's something in the air in both the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals this year. This is why I love the month of June. Not only is it the first month of summer, but it's the month of champions, as two of the main four leagues award their trophies during the sixth month of the year. Usually, one seems to outdo the other, and nearly every year, it's the Cup that does it. But there's something different about this year. While the Cup Final rematch has delivered big time, the NBA Finals has also been quite delicious.
The championship series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers has been very fruitful, and entering Game Four, it's the Pacers with a 2-1 series lead. The series remained in Indianapolis for Game Four, with the Pacers looking to move one win away from their first championship, while the Thunder are looking to knot this thing at two heading back home.
The first quarter was explosive. Back and forth just like in Game Three. It's weird. The two games in OKC weren't so back and forth at the start. Yet these games in Indianapolis start out so close. In the case of the first quarter in Game Four, it was close and high scoring. 35-34 was the score after the first twelve minutes of the game, in the home team's favor. Indy's lead was three points at halftime, and seven points after three quarters, as the Pacers started to break away. At some point, Indy was up by ten, and it looked like the stranglehold was on.
And then, the MVP broke out.
The Thunder went on a scoring tear, led by Shai-Gilgeous Alexander's key shots. They went on a massive run that saw the Thunder actually take the lead with under three minutes left in regulation. A pair of free throws made it a three point game, and it was at that point that the game was officially gone from Indy's grasp, with Indy's missed free throws at the end sealing the deal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won Game Four, 111-104, and the NBA Finals is knotted at two. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, led the way as only he can with 35 points; he is definitely the front runner for the Finals MVP nod on OKC's side should they win this whole thing. Jalen Williams had 27 points, and Alex Caruso had 20 points from the bench. On the Indiana side, Pascal Siakam led the team with 20 points, while Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points of his own. Unfortunately, Haliburton's line also included going 1-for-7 from behind the arc. A definite detriment right there.
As I said before, the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals have been extra special this year. Both sports' Finals are 2-2, meaning that we will get at least two more games in each league. Regarding the NBA Finals, this is the 32nd Finals to be 2-2 after four games. In the previous 31 occurrences, the team who won Game Five went on to win the series 23 times. That's 74.1% of the time. The NBA Finals is now a two out of three affair, just like the Stanley Cup Final. It would be absolutely something if both championship series actually go the maximum seven games.
Game Five is Monday in Oklahoma City.
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About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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