Two stars. Two cities. Two more wins to decide a champion.

With the Finals tied 2-2, a pivotal Game 5 tips off tonight (8:30 ET, ABC).

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

June 16, 2025

Game 5 In 2 Minutes: “It’s a totally new series. We’re treating this as a Game 1”

Defensive Difference: How each team is disrupting the other’s high-powered attack

What OKC Is Saying: SGA, JDub and the Thunder embrace the Finals stage

What Indy Is Saying: Defensive growth, a full circle moment and a special Father’s Day

Unforgettable: Steph’s MVP season ends with a long-awaited Warriors title

1. GAME 5 IN 2 MINUTES: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

A best-of-seven series has turned into a best-of-three — with an NBA championship hanging in the balance.

After splitting the first two games in OKC and the next two in Indy, an epic Finals returns to a raucous Paycom Center tonight for its most crucial clash yet (8:30 ET, ABC).

• The Stakes: This is the 32nd time the Finals have been tied 2-2. Of those 31 previous instances, the Game 5 winner has gone on to win the title 23 times (74.2%)
• The Edge For OKC: Home teams are 21-10 in those Game 5s, with 14 of those 21 winners going on to claim the championship (67.7%)
• The Edge For Indy: Of those 10 road winners, nine ultimately hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy (90%)

Strength vs. Strength: The Thunder boast the best home record this postseason at 9-2. But one of those defeats came to Indy, which owns a Playoff-best seven road wins to just three losses.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Simply, Special: To beat OKC at home in Game 1, Indy overcame a masterful showing from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (38 pts) with a 15-point 4th-quarter rally, capped by Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner with 0.3 seconds left.

The thriller embodied everything that’s made this Finals unforgettable – a fierce superstar duel, clutch comebacks and can’t-miss drama at every turn.

• Stars Shining: The orchestrator of Indy’s attack, Haliburton is posting a series-best 7.5 assists per game, while SGA has powered OKC with a series-high 32.8 ppg – 10 more than the next closest player
• Hali Heroics: Few distribute like Haliburton, but it’s his clutch gene that’s defined him. He’s 5-for-5 on go-ahead or game-tying shots in the final 15 seconds of the 4th quarter or OT this postseason, the most ever in a single Playoff run
• MVP Moment: Shai has been just as big, with 131 total points this series. That’s the third-most by any player in his first four Finals games  – and includes capping Game 4 with 15 in the 4th quarter to ignite a 10-point comeback and even the series

No Lead Is Safe: OKC’s Game 4 rally marked the third 4th-quarter comeback of the series as two of the deepest teams in basketball trade blows in a back-and-forth heavyweight bout.

• Crucial Closes: The winner of the 4th quarter has taken every game this series except OKC’s Game 2 victory – the only game decided by double digits. Both teams are ranked top three in clutch wins this postseason
• Endless Action: The late-game fireworks are fueled by fresh legs, as this is the first Finals in 12 years with at least 17 players averaging 12+ minutes per game
• Rolling Spotlight: That depth has created a special opportunity for role players to shine — and they have, with different names stepping up each night
• Depth Delivering: In fact, this is just the third Finals in the last 15 years with at least 10 players averaging 10+ ppg (min. 2 GP)

Battle Of Resilience: Led by stars and deep rotations, few teams bounce back better than OKC and Indy – setting the stage for a pivotal clash in a series that hasn’t seen either side earn back-to-back wins.

• Thunderous Response: OKC hasn’t lost consecutive games since April 6, with a 7-0 record following losses in that span and a +17.3 point differential
• Pacers Punch: Indy hasn’t lost back-to-back games since March 10 – going 10-0 after defeats with a +14.7 point differential

Now, the two teams with the best records since Jan. 1 heading into the Finals need two more to bring their city its first NBA title.

What’s The Word: Check out some of our favorite reads heading into Game 5.

• Yahoo Sports: Alex Caruso has been giving OKC a little bit of everything, including a lot more minutes
• NBA: Needing a road win, Indy enters familiar territory as Finals return to OKC
• The Oklahoman: Thunder star Jalen Williams makes Finals statement: ‘The more on my plate, the better

2. DEFENSIVE DIFFERENCE: INTENSITY FUELING AN EPIC FINALS

Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

The Finals haven’t just been a battle of stars and offensive depth – they’ve been a primer on how to slow them down.

Two high-octane attacks, both built to run, have been forced to adapt to swarming defensive units, making this a series defined as much by defensive intensity as scoring bursts.

• Firepower: The Pacers and Thunder rolled into the Finals as two of the Playoff’s top three offenses, averaging 117.4 and 117.1 ppg, respectively
• Finals Clamps: But through four Finals games, the two teams have cracked 117 points just once, as OKC did so in its 123-107 Game 2 win

How have the two defenses done it? With championship hustle and attention to detail – limiting each other’s offensive strengths.

Speed Trap: Let’s start with OKC’s defense, which has been historically disruptive all season – leading the NBA in steals, forced turnovers and points allowed.

It’s used that disruption to take advantage of one of Indy’s biggest strengths – pace.

Haliburton’s pass ahead never reaches a cutting Obi Toppin with OKC already in position. The pass is tipped, and SGA snatches it for the steal.

Few teams have been able to slow down the Pacers this season, who entered the Finals with the 3rd-highest pace among all Playoff teams (98.44).

Rather than fight Indy’s speed, OKC’s embraced it to create chaos – increasing the Pacers’ turnover average from 12.7 in the first three rounds to 17.5 in the Finals.

• “They play as a whole and as a unit,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault on the Pacers. “And you have to defend them as a whole and as a unit. That’s been our mentality.”

Lightning Strike: The Thunder actually run more than the Pacers – entering the Finals with a pace of 100.60 this postseason – using steals and stops to earn easy transition buckets

Indy Effort: OKC’s defense fuels its biggest offensive weapon – points off turnovers, where they led the NBA this season with 21.8 ppg.

• Fast Hands, Faster Feet: But while Indy has seen its turnovers go up, it’s made up for it with all-out effort to get back — limiting OKC’s fast-break opportunities

Watch 6-foot-11 Myles Turner hustle back to turn an open layup into a blocked shot.

Weathering The Storm: Despite their 17.3 turnovers per game in the Finals, the Pacers have held the Thunder to just 16.0 ppg off those turnovers – meaning their turnover rate actually exceeds the points they’ve allowed off those miscues.

With that hustle, Indy has cut OKC’s fastbreak ppg from 17.8 in the first three rounds to 8.8 in the Finals.

t’s also slowed the Thunder into playing more halfcourt offense, where Indy has forced OKC into uncharacteristic mistakes.

• Entering the Finals, the Thunder were averaging the second-fewest turnovers among all Playoff teams (11.8)
• In the Finals, the Pacers have increased that number to 14.0 – jump-starting their fast-paced attack ⬇️

The Pacers are actually scoring more points off turnovers in the Finals (16.3) than the Thunder (16.0).

With both teams scrapping for an edge in a series separated by just 13 points (451-438 OKC), every possession has turned into a battle for control – and a fight to dictate terms.

“It’s a dogfight every time we step on the floor,” said SGA after Game 4. “They like to make teams work. We like to make teams work. Whoever imposes their will best this series will come out on top.”

3. WHAT OKC IS SAYING: THE LONG ROAD, THE RIGHT MINDSET

Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

The relentless physical and mental wear of a title run can take its toll. But for those who make it to basketball’s biggest stage, there’s no greater reward.

• “When you’re giving your all, every possession, you’re going to be tired,” said SGA at Sunday’s media session on playing in the Finals
• “But I think above all, it’s been very fun. It’s been everything I dreamt it to be growing up. There’s no other place in the world I’d rather be.”

Built For This: SGA (131) is one of just seven players to score 125+ points in his first four career Finals games, surpassing Giannis Antetokounmpo (129), Dwyane Wade (129), Willis Reed (127) and Michael Jordan (126) – while trailing only Allen Iverson (141) and Rick Barry (165).

JDub Delivering: Shai isn’t the only OKC star shining, as Jalen Williams has stepped up, averaging 22.3 ppg along with 5.5 boards and 4.3 assists – capped by a key performance in Game 4 (27 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast) to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.

• “He’s a winner,” said SGA on Williams. “Him being able to shoulder what he does every night on both ends of the floor takes a lot of pressure off everyone else…
• “He is a Swiss Army knife – and he’s only getting better with every game he plays.”

Championship DNA: Williams isn’t the only Thunder who can do a bit of everything. On Friday, it was Alex Caruso – the only player on OKC to play in a previous Finals – who joined him and SGA with 20+ points, along with a career Playoff-high five steals.

• “He is a gamer,” said SGA on Caruso, who won the 2020 NBA title with the Lakers. “You plug him in anywhere, any lineup, any group – he makes a difference … He just has amazing feel for the game and is an insane competitor.”

That competitive drive has defined the Thunder’s approach all season. Never too high. Never too low. Not caught up in their franchise-record 68 regular-season wins or how close they are to a title.

Just locked in on the next game.

• “This is like a totally new series,” said Williams on Game 5. “We’re treating this as a Game 1 … that’s the most clean-slate attitude you can have … go in there and figure out how to win.”

4. WHAT INDY IS SAYING: GROWTH, BUY-IN & ON THE GROUND

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

While OKC has one player with championship experience, the Pacers have two – Thomas Bryant and Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam.

Similar to Caruso, Siakam began his career in the G League before winning a ring with another team, helping lead the Raptors to their first title in 2019.

• “He really had to earn his way,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle on Siakam. “We’re fortunate to have him. His experience has been a major part of the growth of our team and our young guys over the last two years.”
• That growth – from Indy reaching its first East Finals in a decade last year to being two wins shy of its first-ever title this year – starts defensively, according to Siakam.

“It’s mostly the team defense – and everyone is committed to it,” said Siakam. “I’ve seen the growth of everyone. The coaches have been doing an awesome job preparing us … and everyone is willing to put the effort in.”

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Full Circle: Like Siakam, Carlisle also has championship pedigree, and he’s been in this same spot before – tied 2-2 in the 2011 Finals against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat as the head coach of the Mavericks.

Dallas took Game 5 before winning the series in six games.

Watching the upset unfold from his living room? A young Tyrese Haliburton, giving him his first real taste of the big stage – where anything can happen.

• “I really recall that being my first intro to basketball,” said Haliburton on the 2011 Finals. “I remember I was confused as to why Dallas was winning – I didn’t necessarily understand it…
• “That’s funny to think back on – and here I am with Coach Carlisle now. It’s definitely pretty cool.”

On The Ground: While players gear up for a pivotal Game 5 tonight, Sunday also brought some feel-good Father’s Day fun – including Obi Toppin speaking on his young daughter Remiel.

• “I love having her around,” said Toppin on Remiel. “She loves coming to all the games. I was able to hold her during the ceremony after the East Finals. Hopefully, we can do it in the Finals too.”
• Father-Son Finals: Earlier this week, Player Correspondent and Bulls wing Matas Buzelis spoke on sharing his first Finals experience with his dad: “It’s special.”

5. UNFORGETTABLE: STEPH ENDS WARRIORS’ 40-YEAR TITLE WAIT

Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images

Ten years ago, the 2015 Finals were also tied 2-2 between the Cavs and Warriors – until that season’s Kia NBA MVP took control.

In a season for the ages, Stephen Curry led the Warriors to an NBA-best 67 wins, shattering his own record for 3s made in a season, while earning his first MVP honors and guiding Golden State to its first Finals appearance since 1975.

And in a crucial Game 5, Curry took over, splashing seven 3s en route to 37 points, including 17 in the 4th quarter to take a 3-2 series lead.

One game later, exactly a decade ago today, Curry added 25 points to close out the Cavs in six – capturing the Warriors’ first NBA title in 40 years and igniting one of the greatest dynasties the game has ever seen.

Moments after the final buzzer – on his walk from the court to the locker room’s champagne celebration – Curry shared the thrill of becoming a champion.

“Unbelievable journey. From the start of the year … winning 67 games and having one of the best regular seasons in NBA history and to cap it off with a championship is unbelievable…

“We’re gonna enjoy it – let it all sink in. It’s so much fun. Honestly, I’m thinking about getting back here and winning another one… 

“The amount of sacrifice we’ve had on this team from Day 1 – all it was about was to win a championship…

“We finally got it done. I’ll have a brotherhood with this group of guys and a bond with them for the rest of my life and – we’re champs, man. We’re world champs … It’s a special moment.”

It was the first of four titles for Steph and the Warriors in the span of eight years, as they hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy again in 2017, 2018 and 2022.