Pacers vs. Thunder Game 7: four things to look at a game to decide a sample

Oklahoma City – Nobody should speak of market size or assessments now. We witnessed one of the most fun and well -played NBA finals in recent memory: it had to do seven games. He had a little bit of everything.

While this series was a game of chess that will excite the fans of the XS and the game operating system (the Indiana that moved the Pick-up point in the game 6 was a great one that has thrown Oklahoma City away for one night), the game 7 is more on the execution than on strategic changes. At this point in the series, there are no secrets.

“It is a race of will. I think that the reason he oscillated between the two teams is because they are two teams that have leaned heavily to get to this point,” said Thunder Mark Daigneult’s coach. “They are two teams in which everything is better than the sum of the parts. They are two teams that are highly competitive. Two teams playing together. Two teams that are based on the same things for their success that are crouched against each other.”

The 7 game will concern the execution under the brightest lights of basketball. Which team, which players will they come forward?

We have four things to look at the game 7. Four things will determine who will be on the podium next to Adam Silver after the game.

The advantage of the Thunder court

It is not about how the teams of houses are 15-4 in the game 7 of the NBA finals (The most recent, in 2016, went to the street team, Cleveland, on Golden State).

The advantage of the Thunder court is much more powerful than that: OKC is 10-2 at home in these playoffs. This could easily have been the 12-0 except for some heroics of the last second (the 3-pointer of Aaron Gordon with 3 seconds left for Denver; the Pull-up of Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 left in game 1 of this series).

It is much more than the record: the Thunders have a clear evaluation of +20.7 at home, compared to a clear evaluation of -6.2 on the road (where they are 5-5). Thunder players openly discuss how they feed on their Rauca crowd, and this becomes more evident in defense: the defensive evaluation of the Thunder is 12.7 points for 100 possessions better at home in this post -station.

“In the end you are in your complete comfort area,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of their advantage in court. “The flow to the day does not change. You are in your bed. You have a shooter in your building. You eat your meal pray to your chef or from your anyone. It is very comfortable, the entire flow to the day, and then the crowd is behind you. They give you energy, whether you are on or all that is happening in the night. It is an advantage.”

The energy that thunder players get from their deafening crowd is real.

“The crowd. You know, they work in our favor,” said Cason Wallace. “They are turbulent and are at stake, and this gives us a push and an advantage.”

The pars were a strong street team in this post-installation, with a record of 7-4 away from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and generally played the teams uniformly (a differential of minus-0.6 points). They won a game on the road in this series, they know what is coming and how to resist.

“The crowds give you a little more energy, a little more burst. Tomorrow we will be practically alone,” said Tj McConnell. “This crowd here in Oklahoma City is incredible. It will be very strong. We have to be ready.”

Haliburton’s health

The left calf to the left of Tyrese Haliburton was not very a problem in game 6. This does not mean that it should be ignored in game 7.

There were a pair of Haliburton closed with 14 points, five assists and played less than 23 minutes in the burst.

In addition: the Thunder rarely dragged Haliburton into a pick-and-rock and made him move laterally quickly in defense. Wait for more in the game 7.

Haliburton says he’s ready.

“I am practically in the same point of view that I was before the game 6. A little rigid, a little painful, rather,” said Haliburton. “Luckily I had to play only as 23 minutes. I was able to receive even more treatments and do more things. I’m just trying to take care of the best I can. But I will be ready for the game 7.”

Look how you are moving early and how much thunder puts it to the test.

Invoiced, offensive rebounds

Both of these teams are built on the victory of the game of possession: force the turnover, do not turn the ball on themselves, guarantee some offensive rebounds, mark easy dry in transition and simply create more opportunities for score than their opponent.

Which team performed that it passed from one game to another, but in the game 6 it was clearly Indian.

“I think the last game, we didn’t play our basketball brand and we didn’t play our defense brand and we left them comfortable,” said Isaiah Hartentein of thunder. “So I think it’s a mix of things. They do an excellent job in never changing the way they play. So they come out, run. And it is our task to go back to playing our style of defense and going from there.”

The turnover and the bench points will be Bellwethers in the game 7, as they were during the series.

Lessons from Game 6, former game 7S

Game 7 does not happen in the void and both teams spoke of learning from past experiences.

For the Thunder, it was the game 7 against the Nuggets in these playoffs. This series of finals has strangely followed the shape of the rendering of the second round between Denver and Oklahoma City, from the excruciating loss in game 1 to the outbreak in game 6. Against the Nugget, the Thunder played their best game in the series in Game 7, winning comfortably at home.

“Which game 7 taught me from Denver are the swings: three can be heard how you are falling, you know what I mean? You feel like if you were down for five,” said Jalen Williams. “It is just like the oscillation of a game and what is happening seems much bigger. It is a question of refining your emotion and understanding the state of the game is great for the game 7.”

Pacers have some things to draw on.

“Honestly, for us the last three games were all game 7S,” said Myles Turner.

One of these was game 6 a couple of days ago. With his shoulders against the wall, the Indiana played with a real despair that Oklahoma City did not approach correspondence.

“The last game, we didn’t want them to celebrate our field, so we understood the assignment, we understood that we had to come here and be dogs and do that job,” said Obi Toppin. “And now it is underway at the Seven game. We have had, we have to do the same thing we did in the Six game and do the job.”

As a question about his favorite memory of Game 7, Aaron Nesmith did not hesitate to make the greatest winning of the Pacers of a season ago appear – one that can apply to this year.

“Ours, against the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden,” said Nesmith, referring to a game 7 victory over the road that the team had last season. “It was an incredible atmosphere and a time when I liked to play.”

This Core Pacers won a game 7 on the road in an incredibly hostile environment. He won in this building in the NBA finals. Don’t sleep for their chances of doing it again, but this is a much bigger stage and much brighter lights.

What was a brilliant series, it is hoped that it will end with a game 7 to combine.