When you’re headed back home tied at 2-2.

The 2025 Finals are now a best-of-3 with Game 5 coming up tomorrow (8:30 ET, ABC).

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

June 15, 2025

Back & Forth: How we got to Monday’s pivotal Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals

All-NBA Duel: SGA & Haliburton have made their mark on both of their teams’ wins

Supporting Stars: The depth of both teams has been critical throughout the Finals

Game 4 Frames: Eight of our favorite snapshots of the Thunder’s win

Unforgettable: How a gut-wrenching loss in 2013 fueled the 2014 Spurs to glory

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The Finals are back in OKC…

Live From OKC: Ahead of Monday’s Game 5, both teams will hit the practice court and meet with the media on Sunday. The NBA App will have live coverage beginning at 1:30 ET.

She’s Back: After missing five games with a quad injury, Caitlin Clark returned for Indiana on Saturday in spectacular fashion. She dropped 32 points with seven 3s as the Fever handed the defending champion Liberty their first loss of the WNBA season.

Happy Father’s Day: Can you name the five fathers and sons that have each won an NBA title as players? We’ll drop the answer below, but this list of greatest father/son duos in league history will help.

1. BACK & FORTH FINALS HEADED FOR PIVOTAL GAME 5

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The Thunder and Pacers entered the 2025 NBA Finals as the league’s top two teams since January 1 – OKC at 53-13 and Indiana at 46-18 including the regular season and Playoffs.

Through four games, they’ve shown why.

• Evenly Matched: The series is tied 2-2 with neither team able to put together back-to-back wins – Indiana stole Game 1 in the last second, OKC rolled in Game 2, Indy rallied again in Game 3, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over Game 4
• Stars Leading The Way: Tyrese Haliburton now has four game-winning or game-tying shots in the final five seconds this postseason alone, while Gilgeous-Alexander (32.8 ppg) leads all Finals scorers by over 10 ppg
• Depth On Display: This is the first Finals in 11 years with fewer than three 20+ ppg scorers and the first in 12 years with at least 17 players averaging 12+ mpg
• High Energy: This is the second-youngest Finals in 70 years and the young legs are moving quickly, posting the second-fastest pace in a series since 1997
• Strength vs. Strength: Both teams boast high-scoring offenses – OKC (116.2 ppg) has a 0.4 edge on Indy (115.8) over 20 games this postseason – and counter with swarming defenses
• Proud Fanbases: The atmospheres inside OKC’s Paycom Center and Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse have been loud and electric. Indiana is seeking its first NBA title ever and OKC is going for the first in the franchise’s Thunder era

Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

If there’s one thing the 2025 Playoffs have proven – and the Finals have maintained – is that no lead is safe. Both teams have shown they can rally back from any deficit and have stars ready to take over in clutch time.

• 15+ Point Comebacks: There have been 10 such games in the 2025 Playoffs – five by Indiana and one by Oklahoma City
• 4th Quarter Comebacks: Three of the four games in the Finals have seen the team trailing entering the 4th quarter rally to win the game – Indiana in Games 1 and 3; OKC in Game 4
• Clutch Kings: Powered by his Game 4 performance, SGA leads all players with 18 clutch points in the Finals, while Haliburton is shooting a perfect 6-for-6 in the final 30 seconds of clutch games this postseason

Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images

With the series tied at 2-2 through four games, the stage is set for a best-of-3 finish to the series, beginning with Monday’s Game 5 in OKC.

History tells us that winning this game is critical, with 74.2% of teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 Finals series going on to win the title. Here are the five most recent Finals that were tied at 2-2 entering Game 5:

• 2022 (Golden State vs. Boston): The Warriors won Game 5 at home and clinched the series in six games
• 2021 (Milwaukee vs. Phoenix): The Bucks won Game 5 on the road and clinched the series in six games – winning the final four games of the series
• 2015 (Golden State vs. Cleveland): The Warriors won Game 5 at home and clinched the series in six games – winning the final three games of the series
• 2013 (Miami vs. San Antonio): The Spurs won Game 5 at home, but lost the series in seven games – more on that in Section 5 ⬇️
• 2011 (Dallas vs. Miami): The Mavs won Game 5 at home and clinched the series in six games – winning the final three games of the series. That team was led by current Pacers coach Rick Carlisle

2. SUPERSTAR POINT GUARDS DUELING ON BRIGHTEST STAGE

The highly anticipated duel between All-NBA point guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton has delivered on its promise.

The two stars have left their fingerprints on both of their teams’ wins in this series. | Top 2 On Finals MVP Ladder

• Game 1: Haliburton is turning hitting game-winning shots into a signature move. His pull-up jumper with 0.3 seconds left was his fourth game-winning or game-tying shot in the final five seconds of this year’s postseason
• Game 2: SGA led all players in 30+ point games in the regular season (49) and the Playoffs (14), including his Game 2 performance (34 pts, 8 ast, 5 reb, 4 stl, 1 blk) – a stat line only reached by two other players in a Finals game since 1974
• Game 3: Haliburton struck the perfect balance of scoring and playmaking as he dropped a near triple-double (22 pts, 11 ast, 9 reb) to help the Pacers win their first Finals game in Indy since 2000
• Game 4: It was SGA’s turn for a clutch game as he scored 15 of OKC’s final 16 points – more than doubling Indy’s seven total points by himself – in the final 4:38 to even the series

This has been a clash of two players that are historically effective, but with two different styles.

• Haliburton pushes the pace, emphasizing ball movement and playmaking for his teammates
• But when the game is on the line, he’ll call his own number to deliver a clutch bucket – with historic accuracy, shooting 13-of-16 on go-ahead or game-tying shots in the final two minutes this season
• Gilgeous-Alexander plays at a pace that is all his own. He’s not rushed, but rather methodical in getting to his spots and creating scoring opportunities
• While he’s the league’s leading scorer, he is also a willing passer, excelling in finding teammates when defenses focus extra attention on slowing him down

As they face the historic importance of Game 5, expect these two stars to not only accept the pressure of the moment, but run toward it and look to put their team one win away from their first title.

3. SUPPORTING CASTS STARRING IN THEIR ROLES

Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Finals stage presents the opportunity for role players to become heroes with an Unforgettable moment – a clutch shot, a game-saving steal, a momentum-changing hustle play.

The 2025 Finals have been no different as players beyond the stars have delivered massive performances in games with the highest stakes.

In the Pacers’ Game 3 win, the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd erupted with every steal from fan-favorite T.J. McConnell, who became the first bench player to record 10+ pts, 5+ ast and 5+ stl in a Finals game.

He’s not the only Pacer to rise to the occasion in this series:

• Bennedict Mathurin: The leading scorer in that Game 3 win with 27 points, Mathurin has provided an offensive spark off the bench, averaging 13.5 ppg on 57%+ shooting from the field and from 3
• Obi Toppin: In addition to momentum-swinging putback dunks that ignite the crowd, Toppin boasts Indy’s top defensive rating (103.2) and second-best plus/minus (+1.8) in the series
• Andrew Nembhard: He’s defended scoring champ SGA for a team-high 33:48 of matchup time, holding him to 37 total points on 42.4% FG and 33.3% 3P, while forcing six turnovers to five assists and committing only three shooting fouls
• Pascal Siakam: The 2019 champ with Toronto has been a two-way force for Indy, leading the Pacers in points (18.8) and rebounds (7.8) and ranking second in steals (1.8) and blocks (1.3)

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Oklahoma City has also seen a number of players elevate their play to complement their MVP in pursuit of the title.

• Jalen Williams: The first-time All-Star in 2025 just posted his first back-to-back 25+ point games of the Playoffs, making JDub and SGA a formidable scoring duo to try to slow down night to night
• Alex Caruso: Acquired via trade in the offseason, the two-time All-Defensive Team selection did not have a 20+ point game during the regular season. He has two in the Finals – both in OKC wins
• Chet Holmgren: In addition to his two huge putbacks early in the 4th quarter to help spark OKC’s Game 4 comeback, Holmgren has been the top rim protector (52.4% allowed) in the series (min. 10 shots defended)
• Lu Dort: Dort has been tasked as the primary defender on Haliburton. In 24:01 of matchup time, he’s held Haliburton to 10 total points on 33.3% FG, 28.6% 3P. On the other end, Dort has knocked down a team-high 11 3s on 61% shooting
• Aaron Wiggins: Leads OKC in plus/minus in the Finals (+30 in 48 minutes on court), including a +24 in Game 2 when he splashed five 3s – tied for the most by any player in this year’s Finals

Another opportunity awaits in Game 5. Which role player will have a starring role Monday night in Oklahoma City?

4. GAME 4 FRAMES: SNAPSHOTS OF A SERIES-TYING RESPONSE

Indiana fans have watched their Pacers make five double-digit comebacks in this year’s Playoffs.

But on Friday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it was the Thunder who surged late for their fourth double-digit rally of the postseason.

Before the 2-2 series resumes in OKC on Monday, here are eight of our favorite frames from the Thunder’s Game 4 win.

Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty Images

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

5. UNFORGETTABLE: FROM AGONY TO GLORY, SPURS CLINCH 2014 TITLE

San Antonio’s journey to the 2014 championship began with the heartbreak of seeing the 2013 title slip through their hands.

• In Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, the Spurs were 28.2 seconds away from winning the championship, but Miami rallied to score the final five points of regulation – capped by Ray Allen’s famous corner 3 – to stave off elimination
• Miami won Game 6 in OT and won Game 7 two days later to earn the Larry O’Brien Trophy and begin a long summer for San Antonio

Rather than trying to escape the pain, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich embraced it and used it to challenge his team.

• He opened the next season’s training camp with a tough film session, breaking down everything that went wrong in that game
• “I wanted to ask them, ‘When you are kicked in the gut, how will you respond?’” the legendary coach told ESPN

The Spurs went a league-best 62-20 in the regular season, then survived a seven-game challenge from Dallas in the first round, took care of Portland in five games in the West Semis and defeated OKC in six games in the West Finals to set up a rematch with the Heat.

After splitting the first two games in San Antonio, the Spurs won both games in Miami. They returned home up 3-1 with a chance to clinch the title – and avenge the previous season’s loss – on their home court.

Let’s dive into the Spurs’ huddles and the locker room to hear what Popovich had to say to his team as they earned the franchise’s fifth championship.

“Just remember we have to do this together. The great part is we got all night long to take care of a bad start, but we do it by doing what we normally do.” – after the Spurs got down by 16 in the 1st quarter

“We’re starting to look like we’re moving the ball a little bit more on offense. That’s all that has to be done on that end.” – as the Spurs climbed back into the game in the 2nd quarter

“We’re playing the back-to-back NBA champion right? Keep pounding now! Keep pounding now! Don’t let them back in!” – after building a double-digit lead in the 3rd quarter

“I’ve never been more proud of a team, nor have I ever gotten as much satisfaction from a season in all the years I’ve been coaching. 

“To see the fortitude you guys displayed in coming back from that horrific loss last year and getting yourselves back in position and doing what you did in the Finals, you’re really to be honored for that.

“I just can’t tell you how much it means.” – addressing his team in a champagne-soaked Spurs locker room postgame

Trivia Answer: Five fathers and sons to win NBA titles as players.

• Rick Barry (GSW, 1975) and Brent Barry (SAS, 2005 & 2007)
• Bill Walton (POR, 1977 & BOS, 1986) and Luke Walton (LAL, 2009 & 2010)
• Matt Guokas Sr. (PHW, 1947) and Matt Guokas Jr. (PHI, 1967)
• Gary Payton (MIA, 2006) and Gary Payton II (GSW, 2022)
• Mychal Thompson (LAL, 1987 & 1988) and Klay Thompson (GSW, 2015, 2017, 2018 & 2022)