Will the Thunder close the series 6 series?

The Thunder will have its first chance of winning an NBA championship since they moved to Oklahoma City on Thursday evening when they took a 3-2 lead in match 6 of the NBA final against the Indiana Pacers.

After the Pacers took a shocking 2-1 lead, the Thunder joined the last two games in the series. Oklahoma City Forward Jalen Williams was the star In match 5, scoring 40 points in a victory.

Meanwhile, Indiana is not only confronted with elimination on Thursday, but it will also have to allow its season with a limited version of goalkeeper Tyrese Haliburton, which faces a right calf injury.

What can you expect in match 6? NBC News is there to break the action.

Why the Thunder has won the last two games

Andrew Greif: Oklahoma City found a way to take a proverbial punch and stand up, while Indiana has incredibly, and suddenly could not close the games late.

Just when the series seemed to start tilting towards Indiana deeply in match 4, with a 3-1 pacers leading a real possibility, the infernal defense of Lu Dort helped the Indiana to make difficult shots and the score of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rescued Oklahoma City. And in match 5, just as Indiana seemed to wear the Thunder by reducing an 18 -point lead, Oklahoma City responded by forcing the Pacers in a three -minute sequence with four brutal reversals that contained their chance of return.

Oklahoma City this season has won matches with historical margins, which meant that it had relatively little “clutch” experience, especially compared to Indiana. However, in the last two games, the Thunder seemed more comfortable late in tight matches.

Rush Nadkarni: Defense. The Thunder had the best defense of the NBA during the regular season, and in the most important moments of this series, OKC’s ability to slow down the Pacers made the biggest difference.

In match 4, after Indiana scored 20 points in the first five minutes, it only scored seven points in the last five minutes of a fourth quarter of 17 points, allowing Thunder to overcome a deficit of seven points.

In match 5, Oklahoma City forced Indiana to 23 reversals, adding 12 blocks to make a good measure.

Indiana is a quick rhythm team that thrives in chaos. At the same time, the Pacers must play with hyper-tension for detail for 48 minutes against a Thunder team that jumped tirelessly on any touch of laziness.

What adjustments should the pacers make in match 6?

Greif: In the depths of any series, not to mention four laps in the playoffs, there is no magic adjustment that an opponent like Oklahoma City has not played, spotted or prepared. The adjustment is for Indiana to play a more targeted game on Thursday, in which it does not turn the ball more than 23 times and does not miss several Layup opportunities. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said it was best when he pointed out that the 23 reversals of his team became 32 points for Oklahoma City. Indiana has a 12-13 sheet this season when it has more turnarounds than its opponent.

“It’s the match,” said Carlisle.

Nadkar: I can’t say anything here that Carlisle has not thought about it. If there is an adjustment that has not been made, it is because Carlisle has fully weighed down the advantages and disadvantages and has probably made the right decision.

And yet … I wonder if Indiana tries to tighten its rotation a little. Pascal Siakam, for example, is on average only 33 minutes per match. Can it play closer to 40? The programming with Obi Toppin in the center with the rest of the starters (instead of Myles Turner) only played 16 minutes per game together despite a more-5 at that time. Does Carlisle rely more on this group with Turner in difficulty? Match 6 is not the time to become cute; It’s time to bring your best players together on the ground for as long as possible.

If Haliburton is limited, how do the Pacers compensate?

Greif: Given the responsibilities of Haliburton and the way Indiana plays on both sides of the ball, if Haliburton is limited or cannot play due to his calf injury, he constitutes more burden on the Indiana offensive than his defense. He will need more role of his players, of course, and the good news for Indiana is that they have played well in match 5 and should play even better at home in match 6. On Monday, the bench of Indiana has outlined the 16 -point Oklahoma – even with Bennedict Mathurin, doing only two of his 11 shots – Center Myles Turner started to shoot, and Aaron Nesmith Make four of his 3-pointer Five. Given the amount of energy guard Andrew Nembhard spends keeping the best offensive players of Oklahoma City is probably too much to ask him for a 20 -point match, which he only did twice in the playoffs. But Indiana must make it hold the ball – its four reversals were essential in the defeat of match 5 – and so that Siakam looks like the co -star which could take up a match while scoring 30 points or more three times in the final of the Eastern Conference against New York.

Nadkar: You cannot really compensate for the loss of a player like Haliburton, but the two guys who need to hunt their shots more often in match 6 are Siakam and Mathurin. The two have the possibility of doing something that even Haliburton had a hard time against the Thunder: playing head-on and creating your own shots. It will be a team effort to compensate for Haliburton’s limits. This means taking (and hope to do) more than 3s. Lock defensively. At one point, however, Indiana will need someone to make a difficult bucket against a stingy defense. And Siakam and Mathurin will be the two most talented scorers of the Pacers in these situations.

Prediction for match 6?

Greif: I started this series by choosing Oklahoma City to win in six games, and I stick. The Thunder will beat Indiana, 120-115, to claim its first championship since they moved to Oklahoma City.

Nadkar: I chose the Thunder in five, so it’s a vow pile, but I think the Pacers will send this to a match 7. Indiana did not seem surpassed in this series. Even match 5 was a two -point match in the fourth quarter at some point. I think the pacers hold at home in a thriller, 112–108.