The 5 things the Pacers must correct to regain control of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Thunder

A harsh blow for the Indiana Pacers losing the fourth game of the 2025 NBA Finals at home, thus handing the home court advantage to the Oklahoma City Thunder who return to their arena full of confidence and in a good position to win the championship. The Indianapolis team had it close, but they made significant errors in the final stretch.

In a competition as tight and demanding as the 2025 NBA Finals, any detail can tip the scales one way or the other. That's what happened in the fourth game, with the Indiana Pacers faltering at crucial moments and seeing the Oklahoma City Thunder assert their authority and return to OKC with a valuable win. There have been several key aspects to this triumph for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's team.

1. Matching up in the rebound battle

Despite the Thunder's dominance inside, there must be a team effort to reduce the gap and make the difference smaller than the 43 to 33 rebounds that ended the game. Turner needs to defend the paint more and receive support from others.

2. Avoiding Nesmith defending Shai in crucial moments

The Thunder's point guard is very uncomfortable when guarded by Nemhardt, but they managed to match him up with Nesmith in the last quarter, where he outperformed him in key plays of the game. They cannot switch on screens; they must devise a man-to-man defensive strategy.

3. Effective management of key possessions on offense

There was a tremendous offensive collapse by the Pacers in the last quarter, unable to find good shot opportunities and falling into the trap of the Thunder, who set up one-on-one plays for Nemhard or Nesmith, isolating Siakam and Haliburton completely.

4. Increased contribution from role players

The minutes McConnell is providing are very positive, and they may need to trust in him more, even in crucial moments. Especially considering the poor performance from a completely blocked Mathurin who made crucial errors in the deciding moments of the series.

5. Accuracy in free throws

To win a game of this magnitude, missing 8 free throws is completely unacceptable. That's what the Indianapolis team wasted, many of them in the last quarter, paving the way for their opponents to widen the gap and secure a crucial victory.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las 5 cosas que deben corregir los Pacers para recuperar el mando de las Finales NBA 2025 ante los Thunder