MVP mode: Shai silences doubters

After the jolt of that Game 1 electroshock, it was only natural to expect a seismic response from the Thunder – there was no way they could afford to flirt with the abyss of a 0-2 deficit before the Finals moved to Indiana. But there was also room for a hint of mischief, the kind that lets you toy with one of sport’s favorite pastimes: the “what if?” What if the Thunder couldn’t, or wouldn’t, or simply forgot how to...?

But there was no room for hypotheticals. This Thunder have spent all year proving that their foundation isn’t made of clay – and there’s hardly anyone left still doubting it. Their resounding 123-107 win – a scoreline that says more about the feel of the game than the final margin – ties the 2025 Finals as they head nearly 750 miles east from Oklahoma City to Indianapolis. And it restores some narrative logic after the Pacers smashed the script wide open with that Game 1 shock on Thursday.

That win still holds weight, of course. Now, with Games 3 and 4 coming Wednesday and Friday on their home court, the Pacers have done their job. They’ve stolen home court advantage, and after two games that canceled each other out, we’ve got a best-of-five series. That’s just as true as the fact Rick Carlisle’s squad have shown all postseason that they know how to absorb, process and move on from brutal defeats. But it’s also true – and this truth travels from West to East – that the Thunder are the better team in most scenarios, and this still isn’t a 50-50 fight, no matter the 1-1 scoreline. The Pacers need to hit an elite level, close to perfection, while keeping their opponents somewhere below excellent. They can do it. But can they do it three more times? That’s the question that will decide this series – starting Wednesday. Until then, with everything at 1-1 and the Finals still waiting to be fully unwrapped, every theory is on the table.

A great Thunder clap

The Thunder have only lost back-to-back games twice all season. And never at home. Despite being the fourth-youngest and sixth-lowest paid roster in the league – a transatlantic liner moving against the tide – they’ve handled every hit in these playoffs with poise and class. In Game 2 against the Nuggets, in Game 4 against the Timberwolves… and now here, rebounding from the singed edges of their Finals debut.

If they do go on to lose the series – still a very real possibility – it won’t be because of inexperience or nerves. Those tired clichés might have seemed relevant for about nine minutes (up to that early 17-20), but they can be safely put back to bed for now. This team has 81 wins between the regular season and playoffs, the sixth-best total in NBA history – behind only the dynasties of Curry’s Warriors, Jordan’s Bulls, Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers… you get the picture. If they go all the way, they’ll finish with 84, behind only the 2016 Warriors (88) and the 1996 Bulls (87). They finished the season with the best point differential ever, the second-best net rating, and the most double-digit wins.

They also have a phenomenal defense – one that will likely be remembered – and they have the MVP. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is putting together one of the greatest seasons by a guard in recent memory. Maybe in all of NBA history, frankly: league MVP, scoring champion, Western Conference Finals MVP, First Team All-NBA, All-Star...

Shai was outstanding in Game 2. Not in a frantic, reactionary way – not to make up for the slip that allowed Tyrese Haliburton’s Game 1 fireworks – but with calm fireworks of his own. He rewrote the way he read the Pacers’ defense, traded isolation and hero ball for a sweet, intelligent rhythm. He got everyone involved, controlled the tempo, and stepped up every time a message needed sending. He told his teammates he trusted them – but also reminded them he’d be there when they needed him. On defense too, with total commitment. He finished with 34 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals, all with the quiet ease of someone who still had another gear in reserve.

This time, it was nothing like Game 1. After trailing 17-20 while the Pacers hit corner threes and poked at the Thunder’s few nerves, OKC exploded to a 52-29 lead long before halftime (59-41). This time, the feel of the game did show on the scoreboard – and with it, the Pacers’ magic ran out. The defensive stops, the transition bursts, the smart shot choices… none of it saved them from being overrun.

Chet Holmgren had a phenomenal first half, erasing his Finals debut misstep. Jalen Williams started jittery but finished on fire – very different things. The defense delivered, as always, role players hit their open threes, and head coach Mark Daigneault mixed it up: dual-big lineups (unthinkable last Thursday), smart rotation minutes, and big-time contributions. Chief among them, the ever-reliable Alex Caruso (4-for-8 from deep, 20 points) and the breakout effort from Aaron Wiggins (5-for-8, 17 points). The Thunder are 5-0 with a +98 point differential following losses in these 2025 playoffs.

Haliburton arrives late to Game 2

The Pacers had no answers this time. Not even a scare. Every team has a limit – even this one. Especially against a team that won 18 more games in the regular season. Their defense unraveled, something that never happened in Game 1. The threes stopped falling. The paint points didn’t come until the game was already lost. And Haliburton showed up far too late – 3 points, 1 made shot and 2 turnovers in the first half, finishing with 17 and 6 assists thanks to some heavy garbage-time padding.

He didn’t deliver – and without him, his team fell apart, rudderless and empty of ideas. He sat down at 21-20 and returned with the game already drifting at 40-27. Their free-flowing, collective style – usually a strength – just didn’t fit the frantic demands of a game slipping through their fingers.

The Pacers were nowhere near the level required to produce a miracle. They lost sight of their strengths and couldn’t hide the Thunder’s. But even after this thrashing, they leave Oklahoma City with the job done. The series is 1-1 heading to their home court. Now they just need to flip the universe three more times in five games. It’s wildly, brutally unlikely – and maybe that’s why it feels like exactly the kind of job for them.

Even if Shai has other ideas.

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Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats

5 Luguentz Dort
8 Jalen Williams
7 Chet Holmgren
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
22 Cason Wallace
9 Alex Caruso
13 Ousmane Dieng
55 Isaiah Hartenstein
11 Isaiah Joe
3 Dillon Jones
25 Ajay Mitchell
21 Aaron Wiggins
6 Jaylin Williams
34 Kenrich Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
5 Luguentz Dort	26	3	2	0	2	1	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	1/3	0	5	0
8 Jalen Williams	33	19	5	2	3	5	2	1	0	8/9	4/9	1/5	0	3	0
7 Chet Holmgren	27	15	6	1	5	1	2	0	1	2/2	5/8	1/3	0	2	0
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	36	34	5	0	5	8	2	4	1	11/12	10/17	1/4	0	3	0
22 Cason Wallace	22	4	3	1	2	1	0	2	1	0/0	2/2	0/2	0	3	0
9 Alex Caruso	27	20	3	1	2	1	2	0	0	4/4	2/3	4/8	0	3	0
13 Ousmane Dieng	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
55 Isaiah Hartenstein	22	3	8	3	5	4	1	1	0	1/2	1/2	0/0	0	0	0
11 Isaiah Joe	6	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/2	0	0	0
3 Dillon Jones	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
25 Ajay Mitchell	2	2	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	2/2	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
21 Aaron Wiggins	20	18	4	1	3	1	1	1	0	1/2	1/3	5/8	0	1	0
6 Jaylin Williams	2	3	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	0	0
34 Kenrich Williams	7	0	4	2	2	2	1	0	1	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	0	0

Indiana Pacers

Stats

23 Aaron Nesmith
43 Pascal Siakam
33 Myles Turner
0 Tyrese Haliburton
2 Andrew Nembhard
13 Tony Bradley
3 Thomas Bryant
12 Johnny Furphy
16 James Johnson
0 Bennedict Mathurin
9 T.J. McConnell
26 Ben Sheppard
1 Obi Toppin

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
23 Aaron Nesmith	25	14	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/4	4/8	0	3	0
43 Pascal Siakam	29	15	7	4	3	4	2	0	2	8/9	2/7	1/4	0	4	0
33 Myles Turner	27	16	4	0	4	4	3	0	0	3/4	5/7	1/5	0	2	0
0 Tyrese Haliburton	34	17	3	0	3	6	5	2	2	0/0	4/5	3/8	0	1	0
2 Andrew Nembhard	32	11	4	1	3	4	1	3	0	2/4	3/4	1/4	0	1	0
13 Tony Bradley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
3 Thomas Bryant	11	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	1/2	0/0	0/1	0	2	0
12 Johnny Furphy	4	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0
16 James Johnson	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	2	0
0 Bennedict Mathurin	21	14	2	0	2	1	2	0	0	5/7	3/5	1/2	0	4	0
9 T.J. McConnell	18	11	3	0	3	6	0	2	0	0/0	4/6	1/1	0	2	0
26 Ben Sheppard	13	3	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0/0	0/0	1/2	0	2	0
1 Obi Toppin	19	3	5	1	4	2	1	1	0	0/0	0/3	1/5	0	1	0