Pacers' push, biggest X factors: What to watch in Thunder-Pacers massive Game 6

After a back-and-forth conflict betwixt the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, the 2025 NBA Finals are 1 measurement person to crowning a caller champion.

Tied 2-2 successful the bid entering Game 5 connected Monday, the Thunder dominated astatine location down the dynamic performances of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points) and Jalen Williams (40). Now starring 3-2, lone 1 much triumph stands betwixt the Thunder and the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Pacers' biggest question revolves astir the presumption of prima defender Tyrese Haliburton, who has a strained close calf and volition acquisition an MRI, arsenic reported Tuesday by ESPN's Shams Charania. In Game 5, Haliburton scored lone 4 points -- the lowest full of his playoff vocation -- to spell with six assists and 7 rebounds.

Our NBA insiders reply immoderate of the biggest questions entering a imaginable Finals-clinching Game 6 successful Indianapolis connected Thursday, including however the Pacers tin unit a Game 7 and the biggest X factors to ticker for.

On a standard of 1 to 10, however acrophobic should the Pacers beryllium astir Tyrese Haliburton's Game 5 show and his status?

Tim MacMahon: 10. It's hard to spot the Pacers generating a batch of points against the league's champion defence without a steadfast Haliburton. It's not each astir scoring for him, but the Pacers are a antithetic squad erstwhile Haliburton is successful onslaught mode. Indiana is 12-3 erstwhile Haliburton scores astatine slightest 20 points successful these playoffs and 8-11 erstwhile helium doesn't. T.J. McConnell brings vigor disconnected the seat and tin spell connected scoring flurries, similar helium did successful the 3rd 4th of Game 5; but helium is the NBA equivalent of a third-down moving backmost who isn't equipped to get 25 carries.

Jamal Collier: 10. Scoring doesn't archer the full communicative with Haliburton, but he's the motor that makes this squad go. He was constricted connected Monday, incapable to thrust by immoderate defenders, and helium spent astir of the clip lasting successful the corners portion others initiated the offense. If helium can't beryllium importantly much effectual than helium was successful Game 5, the Pacers' way to triumph becomes highly difficult.

Chris Herring: A coagulated 8, and possibly adjacent that is excessively low. But it isn't the show successful Game 5 that concerns me; it's however injured helium indispensable beryllium to person played that poorly successful a infinitesimal similar that. Yes, Haliburton is prone to enactment up occasional atrocious games, truthful it mightiness person been conscionable that. But the Pacers were mostly atrocious connected Monday -- with atrocious outings from Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, ample Tony Bradley minutes and turnovers galore -- yet inactive had a accidental to triumph successful the closing minutes. So, if Haliburton's mobility is lessened successful Game 6 arsenic a effect of his injured calf, it's enormously concerning. Even if McConnell has much clutch performances up his sleeve, it's hard to spot Indiana squeezing retired 2 much victories without Haliburton being close physically.

Tim Bontemps: 10. This 1 is beauteous simple: Indiana's play ends with 1 much loss, and the Pacers' motor seems similar he'll beryllium a bully woody little than 100 percent. It doesn't get much concerning than that.

Zach Kram: 10. This wasn't a atrocious Game 5 simply due to the fact that of a shooting slump oregon Luguentz Dort's lockdown defense, which would beryllium manageable concerns. This was a atrocious crippled due to the fact that of a calf injury, which doesn't typically spell distant rapidly and which sapped Haliburton's question passim Monday's contest.

The Pacers volition widen the bid if _____.

Herring: If Haliburton isn't himself, it becomes just to wonderment whether Rick Carlisle would beryllium amended disconnected riding McConnell arsenic the team's pb defender for an extended clip -- surely much than the 22 minutes helium played Monday -- and tally the discourtesy done Pascal Siakam much often. Leaving Haliburton successful due to the fact that helium feels helium tin lend -- he said if helium tin walk, helium wants to play, fixed that this is the NBA Finals -- gets blurry if helium is struggling likewise to however helium did successful Game 5. Even if Haliburton isn't 100 percent, the Pacers springiness themselves a much amended accidental by simply taking amended attraction of the ball. Oklahoma City took what had been an eight-point borderline midway done the 4th and built it into a 16-point pb successful nary clip due to the fact that Indiana had 4 consecutive turnovers during 1 cardinal stretch.

Bontemps: They power a operation of the pursuing stats: seat scoring, points disconnected turnovers and 3-point shooting. And successful galore ways, each 3 are related. If Indiana takes attraction of the ball, hits 3s and outpaces Oklahoma City's seat scoring (the archetypal clip a squad got much seat scoring and mislaid successful this bid was Game 5), that'll mean Indiana is dictating however the crippled is playing out. The Thunder thrive connected creating turnovers, getting successful the unfastened level and making unfastened layups and 3s. Limiting those things volition spell a agelong mode toward helping Indiana win.

Collier: They power the tempo successful Game 6. Limiting turnovers and amended wellness from Haliburton are a fixed to adjacent person a chance, but the Pacers besides are going to request the crippled to beryllium played astatine their tempo. That means a overmuch faster pace, moving retired successful modulation aft made baskets, limiting the Thunder's escaped throws and forcing them backmost into a half-court setting, which tin crook OKC's discourtesy backmost into the iso-heavy onslaught it devolved into successful Games 3 and 4. Putting each of those factors unneurotic is simply a gangly task.

Kram: They people astatine slightest 110 points. Indiana is 14-0 successful the postseason erstwhile it reaches that fig versus 0-7 erstwhile it doesn't. Sure, it's simplistic, but Indiana has relied connected its electrical discourtesy to powerfulness victories each season, truthful it's not precisely a astonishment that the Pacers triumph erstwhile they tin people and suffer erstwhile they can't.

MacMahon: They astir apt request a monster show from the proven champion connected the roster. Siakam carried Indiana to what seemed similar an improbable triumph successful Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals by putting up 39 points against the New York Knicks. Can helium travel up with that benignant of an outing with the Pacers' play connected the line? Siakam has been precise bully successful this series, averaging 20.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He needs to crank it up different notch oregon 2 for the Pacers to unit a Game 7.

The Thunder triumph the Finals if ____.

Bontemps: They deed 3-pointers. That OKC has been winning successful these playoffs portion shooting arsenic poorly arsenic it has been astatine times truly is something. But if the Thunder tin person a blistery shooting crippled connected the roadworthy successful Game 6, it's hard to spot them having to play a Game 7 fixed the different advantages they'll person successful their favour arsenic good arsenic Haliburton's uncertain status.

Collier: They person genuinely solved thing with Indiana's defense. Their 2 stars get each the headlines, but the Thunder were wide successful a overmuch amended travel connected discourtesy successful Game 5. Given that defence for Oklahoma City has been a constant, if this violative travel is sustainable, the Thunder are well-positioned to spell connected the roadworthy and travel distant with a victory.

MacMahon: They enforce their will. As Chet Holmgren enactment it, "Luck ever tends to favour the aggressors." The Pacers play fast, but they are not a finesse team; Indiana has enactment the Thunder connected their heels astatine times with its toughness. Oklahoma City flipped that successful the 4th fourth of Game 4, keying the Thunder's comeback, and amped it up successful Game 5, forcing 23 turnovers that were converted into 32 points. OKC has an accidental to enactment the finishing touches connected 1 of the champion antiaircraft seasons successful caller memory.

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Stephen A.: 'Jalen Williams is special'

Stephen A. Smith praises Thunder tiny guardant Jalen Williams aft his 40-point crippled vs. the Pacers.

Herring: They get different 30-plus-point show from Williams. They'll besides request different charged-up showing from Cason Wallace, who responded highly good with 11 points and 4 steals successful conscionable 17 minutes aft a beauteous brutal Game 4 (and aft being moved to the seat pursuing Game 3). And the Thunder indispensable triumph the turnover conflict by treble digits again, similar they did during Game 4 successful outscoring Indiana by a whopping 32-9 borderline successful points disconnected turnovers.

Kram: At slightest 1 seat subordinate steps up connected the road. Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander were some unthinkable successful the past 2 victories, but the Thunder besides benefited from important contributions from Alex Caruso, who scored 20 points successful Game 4, and Wallace and Aaron Wiggins, who combined for 25 points and 7 3s successful Game 5.

An X origin successful Game 6 volition beryllium ____.

Kram: Nembhard's offense. The dogged defender has softly regressed connected discourtesy arsenic the playoffs person progressed. Through Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, helium was averaging 14.4 points and 5.5 assists per crippled portion making 53% of his 3-pointers. Since then, helium has fallen to 9.1 points, 3.4 assists and 31% 3-point shooting; and successful Game 5 of these Finals, Nembhard committed respective captious turnovers that ruined Indiana's accidental astatine a comeback. Especially with Haliburton's wellness successful doubt, the Pacers' different starting defender volition request to crook successful a large performance, connected some ends.

Collier: Indiana's relation players person looked much comfy astatine location passim the series, and they volition beryllium important successful Game 6. But simply put, if Haliburton can't beryllium adjacent to his accustomed aforesaid driving the offense, I'm not definite there's an X origin that tin marque up the quality for Indiana.

Herring: The magnitude of clip Indiana takes to get into its offense. The Thunder's defence was stifling successful the overgarment during Game 5, and betwixt Haliburton not moving good and McConnell not being overmuch of a level spacer -- adjacent with McConnell having an epic 3rd play from the level -- Indiana looked stuck successful the mud for agelong stretches, which is the other of however the club's discourtesy operates. Being astatine location should help, but if the Pacers can't make modulation looks to instrumentality immoderate unit disconnected of Haliburton, the nighttime figures to extremity with OKC holding hardware.

MacMahon: Will Oklahoma City get accumulation disconnected the pine? The Thunder's heavy seat has been a large origin successful each of Oklahoma City's wins successful this series. Caruso has a mates of 20-point performances aft not having immoderate during the regular season. Wiggins had 18 points successful Game 2 and 14 successful Game 5, hitting a combined 9 3s successful those 2 outings (and nary successful the different 3 Finals contests). Wallace was 3-of-4 from 3-point scope successful Game 5 aft going 0-of-8 successful his archetypal 4 Finals games. If Oklahoma City gets immoderate scoring punch disconnected the bench, program the parade successful Bricktown.

Bontemps: Can Myles Turner get going? After immoderate unthinkable performances earlier successful these playoffs, his numbers person fallen disconnected successful this series, including going 5-for-22 from 3. Especially with Haliburton's relation successful question, Indiana could desperately usage Turner going for 20-plus points and being the menace from beyond the arc helium was antecedently successful the postseason.

True oregon false: This bid volition spell to Game 7

Herring: False. I'd emotion for it to, and the bid has been mostly fantastic, truthful there's plentifulness of crushed to deliberation it will. But I judge determination are simply excessively galore questions astir whether Haliburton volition beryllium himself physically to foretell that the Pacers volition bushed the Thunder's ascendant defence again successful Game 6. I anticipation I'm incorrect truthful we tin person a winner-take-all matchup for the title, though. Nothing would beryllium much amusive than that.

Bontemps: False. Between Haliburton's wounded and Oklahoma City continuing to amusement its strengths successful this bid -- which has been wildly entertaining -- I deliberation we'll spot the Thunder triumph their archetypal title Thursday night. I conjecture I conscionable haven't learned aft the mode the Pacers person performed passim these playoffs, but this feels excessively large of a operation of factors for them to overcome.

Collier: False. With Haliburton's wellness successful question and the Thunder rolling, it doesn't consciousness that way. But it surely wouldn't beryllium astonishing if Indiana has 1 much magic instrumentality to propulsion erstwhile it's been counted out.

MacMahon: Per my idiosyncratic policy, I don't marque predictions connected bid that I cover. However, I bash person a formation booked to spell location Friday morning.

Kram: True, if Haliburton is reasonably steadfast pursuing 2 disconnected days; false, if helium is arsenic constricted arsenic helium appeared successful Game 5. That equivocal reply is astir apt cheating, but it's intolerable to decently foretell the Pacers this postseason.