Pacers even Finals, Game 7 next

Indiana 108, Oklahoma City 91

Series tied 3-3

Desperation is a force, it can take legs out or lift them well off the ground, enervate or enliven, Game 7 or go home. There was a very real and understandable chance that the Pacers, equal to these Thunder is several critical ways, work themselves into oblivion in Game 6. Spin a strict circle straight into the ground, call it "pace," wear out by the second quarter.

Kinda happened. T.J. McConnell was again Indiana's sparkplug in Game 6 but he was a wreck in the first quarter, could barely walk back to the bench after his five-minute stint, which included two missed free throws in two attempts. Spinning, sweating.

This didn't last long: McConnell started the second quarter and turned a three-point Pacer lead into a nine-point advantage. Like the last quarter's walk to the bench never happened. A dozen points and nine boards and four steals and six assists all game, typical minute allotment (24), exhorting the crowd, screaming and pointing during timeouts. It was desperate, driving and pushing and treating the first two quarters as if they were what they were.

The balance of the 2024-25 season, for one. And maybe the best chance any of these guys have at an NBA title. It is tough work, acting the Energy Guy at age 33, but McConnell didn't care. Did not care.

And, yes, Tyrese Haliburton was able to square and score. Didn't touch the court in the fourth quarter, 23 minutes, 5-12 shooting, 14 points, +25, 3-7 from deep. Appeared hampered but hardly hamstrung, and nobody's really asking him to jump much anyway. Haliburton was as strong a reason for Indiana's 90-60 score after the third quarter as his understudy.

The Pacers were in their own beds Tuesday morning, much time to think about Game 6, but even more time to rest and forget there's a basketball game even scheduled for Thursday. Whichever mix helped them outscore the best team in the NBA by 30 points in 36 minutes, keep it up: Indiana doesn't have to leave town for Game 7 until after sleeping in its own bed.

For one more night. That's the fun of a Game 6 at home, desperation doesn't have to develop into pressure, anxiety, chewy internal tumult. The fans were on it – one game left, might as well show out – loud but never pressed.

Trepidation at Game 6's outset – could you blame Pacer fans? – especially after the Thunder scored ten of the game's first 12 points. But acceptance of fate quickly turned to fuck no as the home team pushed its edge.

The upper hand? Oklahoma City tried winning Game 6 with offense. The Pacers can do offense.

The Thunder helped. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed 2-3 attempts to start, never pushed his advantage in the paint. The Pacers talked, made it uncomfortable for the MVP to find the same pivot spots which did him so wonderfully in Game 5.

Aaron Wiggins (1-4) aimed his three-pointers, I don't know what Luguentz Dort (1-5) was doing with his three-pointers, because that ain't aiming. Jalen Williams only shot with his arms, no belly and no tip-toes, needed 16 attempts for 13 points. Shai turned it over eight times and didn't play the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, six threes for Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Haliburton in the first 21 minutes of Game 6. The Thunder hit OKC's sixth three-pointer with nine minutes left in the game, launched by Jaylin Williams, garbage time long in effect by this point.

Many reasons for Indiana's many-point lead. Obi Toppin was energy from the start, effective effort, 2o points on 12 attempts, one turnover despite his leaps, bounds.

Pascal Siakam (16 points and 13 rebounds) routinely found his spots, likely something to do with his pregame visualization technique.

A downside? The recognition that Bennedict Mathurin minutes hurt the Pacers, the Thunder score all over him. Only five minutes in the first three quarters for Mathurin, nine minutes of garbanzo time in the fourth quarter, 1-6 from the field.

The Thunder had chances, most compelling of which was a look at the rim with the ball with four minutes left in the first half, down only 13 points.

That's a lead these Thunder can tie, in 240 seconds, even against a team which knows Oklahoma City as well as these Pacers. But these OKC defense was as soft and inoffensive as the Lorraine Feather song about Scrabble that came on the radio before Game 6, I couldn't turn it off because I couldn't believe I was listening to the aural equivalent of a New Yorker cartoon.

And Andrew Nembhard, while not an approximate of Shai, at least puts himself in a position to answer what Gilgeous-Alexander does.

These teams were utter strangers 16 days ago, now they'd trust each other to run each other's team when the other was out of town. There is overwhelming, pervasive respect within this series, none of the annoying kind, the cloying crud for compliments. The Pacers believe in themselves as champions but they cannot believe how much they have to work just to compete against Oklahoma City. And the Thunder cannot comprehend why this wasn't over 16 days ago.

Oklahoma City burped on its bib in Game 6, but they'd also sloughed it off by the time the press shuffled in. OKC is already cleaned up and committed to Sunday. There is nothing in the Thunder that suggest they'll burn out by the weekend.

The Pacers? What's another night? This was not Indiana's perfect game, and Rick Carlisle wants another shot at a perfect game. Win or lose.

Indiana will be as desperate in Game 7 as Indiana felt in Game 6. Just as cornered, exactly as imperiled. It appears they work well this way.

Game 7 (hell yes) on Sunday on ABC at 8:30ish PM Eastern

SAM MITCHELL

Former Pacer and Timberwolves forward, longtime NBA coach and NBA TV analyst.

Seen, on Thursday night, carrying around a large, horizontal mylar bag of Fritos, presumably with some sloppy form of nacho markup inside, a Frito Pie for the most unhinged coach and analyst in recent history.

Two forks, sticking straight up out of the bag, for Smitch. Two forks.

SAW A RAINBOW

On the drive in, arching over the highway. The purest, most strident rainbow I've ever seen in person.

Argybargybargybargy, me gold.

CONAN POSTPONED BY THE FINALS

How come no wake-up call?!?

The first few months after Andy Richter left 'Late Night' showcased a brand new, even nervier, Conan.

And, yes, Game 6 of the 2000 NBA Finals started at 9:30 PM Eastern!

SHEB WOOLEY

They played a clip from 'Hoosiers' on the scoreboard, so I got to see Sheb Wooley.

'Purple People Eater'-fame.

BROS

Pretty cool bros at the game. One set of three ran from their seats during a second quarter timeout, three-minute and thirty-second break, returning back as play resumed. Each with, you guessed it, three balloon animals.

Then there was the bro who waited until the scoreboard camera caught him to completely rip his free Pacers t-shirt down the middle, pro wrasslin'-style, revealing a Haliburton jersey underneath. One pull, perfect. Didn't even have to look at it.

Then there was the bro, my age, seen walking out into the Indianapolis night with a box full of those free t-shirts. Champion bro.

AN OKC BOUTIQUE IN THE PLAZA DISTRICT

Sells used Thunder playoff t-shirts, the free ones, for $20. Not my kinda price.

I was wearing my 2009-10 Houston Rockets free playoff t-shirt when I was in there.

JAMES JOHNSON

What would you rather do, can a jump shot in an NBA Finals game, or be canned from an NBA Finals game with one shot?

Game 7 on Thursday, still time to hit a jumper. Still time for another ejection.

GAME 6 PREVIEW

One was planned, much was planned, I had a little tummy setback and had to spend 25 hours in bed.

And, no, it wasn't going to all about ELO.

THERE'S A REASON THEY ARE HERE

Clay Bennett is a gotdamned thief but at least he hires basketball people:

Team executives around the league believe the Thunder have one of the largest front offices in the NBA and are among the league’s biggest spenders on its basketball operations staff. The Thunder have 88 employees in their basketball operations department, according to a publicly available media guide. As a comparison, the New York Knicks have 92. The Los Angeles Lakers have just 56.

COACH'S KID

I haven't rewatched Game 6 yet but I'll bet we got some Coach's Kid references regarding T.J. McConnell. There are lot of basketball coaches out there, many of them have children who play basketball, not many of them make the NBA.

McConnell isn't here because the family table's salt and pepper shakers doubled as hounding, double-teaming, guards. He's here because he put more jump shots up than anyone else, any of the other Coach's Kids.

That weird – whap the mallet and watch the puck barely make it to the bell – jumper.

No capable parent would ever teach a child to shoot a basketball like this.

THINGS I ENJOY ABOUT THE PACER ARENA

The Lin Dunn banner. I love Lin Dunn.

Sparkly linoleum.

The set of running men in harnesses it takes to raise Boomer from the floor to rafters. The Pacer mascot is pulled by six or seven dudes on a track above the floor, each them attached to each other, Boomer.

The 'We're reppin Billy Keller!' sign:

Five-buck bottles of water.

Ample tractor parking.

I've never seen anyone eat one of those ridiculous fried pork sandwiches at a Pacer game, I don't even know if they sell them.

Sweetheart staff.

Rows and rows of corn.

And the No. 1 thing, then and now, that I enjoy seeing at the Pacer arena:

METTA WORLD PEACE

It shouldn't take a Pacer championship to let this pass.

Stephen Jackson – "strip club parking lot gunfight" – got a highlight video and lengthy standing ovation for his 169-game stint with the Pacers in Game 6. But Metta World Peace was the only courtside ex-Pacer who had to share his moment (with C.J. Miles).

All he's done is apologize, for two decades. He wasn't even 25. He put pressure on himself until he snapped, and wanted time off from the Pacers to promote an album he financed. He let loose in Detroit, the Pacers never fully reembraced him after his suspension lifted, and for understandable reason.

MWP sharing his short tribute time with C.J. Miles is also understandable. The Pacers aren't ready, the crowd (there were boos) isn't either.

Yet Detroit was two decades ago, it is time for Indiana to reembrace someone who gave them and coach Rick Carlisle quite a bit.

Before he asked for paid time off to promote his friend's CD.

I'm happy he is here, with us, in the stadium or otherwise. He was a second-year player during my first year covering Bulls games, annoying him in the locker room with Triangle offense questions, he was 21, I was 20. I was there in Los Angeles, sitting two seats down from half the Red Hot Chili Peppers, when Metta thanked everyone (and twice) at the 2010 championship podium.

I was, uh, at a bar across the street from a boring wedding I skipped out on when the supposedly reformed MWP rearranged James Harden's face in a playoff game. So many memories!

I'd love to be at a Pacers banner-raising ceremony some fall, one which features a lengthy standing ovation for the former Pacer.

Because that ain't happening with the Bulls. I'm relying on you, Indiana.

JUST ANOTHER NIGHT

Thank you for reading, for your help with my travel. A guy drove to all the NBA Finals games, that's a strange and special and unique thing, and you made it happen.

Game 7 preview next!