The high-energy atmosphere inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 13 turned to stunned silence in a matter of mines.
Pacers fans arrived ready to celebrate a commanding 3-1 series lead. They were left haunted by a Friday the 13th collapse.
The Oklahoma City Thunder stormed back to win Game 4 of the NBA Finals 111-104, knotting the series at two games apiece.
Fans wore gold and roared with every Pacers basket and defensive possession. Indiana led 60-57 at halftime. They stretched their advantage to 10 points late in the third quarter.
Then the Thunder, and particularly Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, unleashed hell.
The league MVP scored 15 of his game-high 35 points in the final five minutes. He drained clutch shots and free throws to seal the comeback win.
“It’s the finals,” Gilgeous-Alexander said at practice on June 15. “Every possession matters. We just kept fighting. We knew we had another gear.”
That gear shifted into overdrive in the final frame. Oklahoma City outscored Indiana 31-17 in the last period.
Pacers forward Pascal Siakam delivered a strong performance. He tallied 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
His stat line placed him among elite company. He joins players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James with 20+ points/5+ rebounds/5+ assists/5+ steals in a finals game.
Yet it wasn’t enough.
Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points. Myles Turner struggled, shooting only 3-of-10.
The Thunder found heroics off the bench. Alex Caruso matched his playoff career high with 20 points. He also nabbed five steals. Caruso became the first player in Finals history with at least 20 points and five steals as a reserve.
“He just makes winning plays,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He was everywhere we needed him tonight.”
Indiana’s offense sputtered badly down the stretch. They managed only 17 points in the decisive fourth quarter. Turnovers and missed opportunities plagued them.
A once effervescent crowd had finally gone flat.
Oklahoma City also set two significant records. They passed the 2018-19 Warriors for most points in a single season (regular and playoffs combined – 12,205). They also set a new single-postseason steals record (214).
Frustration boiled over among the Pacers’ faithful. The officiating crew, led by Scott Foster, drew loud, consistent jeers throughout the contest.
Questionable calls mount against the home team. The mood shifted dramatically from exuberant optimism to palpable gloom and existential dread.
By the middle of the fourth quarter, the energy had utterly vanished. Fans exited the arena punching walls and yelling obscenities.
The Friday the 13th jinx felt real.
“It’s extremely frustrating,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said following the loss. “We had control. We had a 10-point lead in the third. Give Oklahoma City credit. They made the tough plays. Gilgeous-Alexander was spectacular late. But we stopped executing. We stopped moving the ball. We have to be better.”
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin acknowledged the deflated feeling.
“It sucks losing at home, especially like that,” Mathurin said. “We felt it. The crowd felt it. We let it slip. But the series is tied. It’s not over. We have to regroup. We have to win Game 5.”
History offers both teams a path. This marks the 32nd time the Finals are tied 2-2 after four games. The Game 5 winner has gone on to win the series 74.2% of the time (23-8).
Game 5 tips off June 16 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The Finals returns to Indianapolis for the last time this postseason on June 19. Game 7, if necessary, happens on June 22 back in Oklahoma City.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more NBA Finals coverage from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
