The Thunder aren’t hitting the panic button after dropping Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals to the Pacers at residence Thursday night time in gorgeous trend.
Main by 15 factors within the fourth, Oklahoma Metropolis let the sport slip away as Indiana rallied to a 111-110 victory after Pacers star and Knicks villain Tyrese Haliburton hit a 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to take a 1-0 sequence lead — one thing league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned gained’t deter the Thunder’s quest for the franchise’s first NBA title because the Sonics gained in 1979.
“How you lose doesn’t really matter,” OKC’s star guard mentioned, in response to ESPN. “Clearly it sucks — last-second shot, the power within the enviornment and stuff like that. However we misplaced on the finish of the day. We misplaced Recreation 1.
“We’ve lost Game 1 before. On the other side of that, we came out a better team. That’s our goal.”
The Thunder choked away Recreation 1 of their second-round playoff sequence to the Nuggets final month after Denver stormed again from a 13-point gap to win, 121-119.
The Nuggets closed out the sequence opener with a 3-point shot from Aaron Gordon with 2.8 seconds remaining at Paycom Middle in Oklahoma Metropolis.
Nevertheless, Denver’s victory lap was short-lived when the West’s prime seed blew out the Nuggets the next recreation, 149-106. Oklahoma Metropolis took the sequence in seven.
Coach Mark Daigneault, who led the Thunder to a 68-14 document within the common season, pressured Thursday, “The most important game in the series is always the next one.”
“The playoffs take you to the limit,” Daigneault mentioned. “They put your back against the wall — in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on. The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game’s a new game. The most important game in the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome. We would’ve liked to win tonight, but tonight was a starting point, not an end point.”
The Pacers’ playoff run has been outlined by comeback victories, most not too long ago in Recreation 1 of the Japanese Convention finals in opposition to the Knicks, when Haliburton compelled extra time en path to a 138-135 win.
Indiana topped the Knicks in six video games.
Recreation 2 of the NBA Finals suggestions off Sunday at 8 p.m.
The sequence shifts to Indiana for Video games 3 and 4 beginning Wednesday, June 11.
