In a recent NBA playoffs, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 at home. This victory is of great significance to the Pacers, because they were generally not favored before the game. According to statistics, this is the ninth time that the Pacers have won in this season's playoffs without being predicted to win by the outside world. Looking back at the past 35 years of playoff history, only a few teams have achieved similar "underdog" times, such as the Miami Heat in 2023, the Miami Heat in 2020, and the Houston Rockets in 1995. The Pacers' performance can be compared with these historical powerhouses.

Many people may be curious. Facing the talented Thunder team, which ranked high in the regular season, what did the Pacers rely on to win this crucial game? After the game, Rick Carlisle, the head coach of the Pacers, gave his explanation in an interview with the media. He clearly pointed out: "This is the characteristic of our team. We need everyone and must rely on teamwork to play. This is also the basis for our victory." Coach Carlisle emphasized that the Pacers have no superstars. Their strength comes from the whole. They need all players to work closely together and work together to overcome difficulties and win the game. This style of play that relies on collective strength and everyone contributes their own strength is the key to their repeated victory under unfavorable circumstances.

From the specific process of this game, the Pacers' "team basketball" concept has been fully reflected, especially their substitutes, who played an extremely important role. It can be said that the strength of the bench is one of the cornerstones of this victory. The young Benedict Marceline was a highlight among the substitutes. He played for 22 minutes and showed extremely high offensive efficiency. He shot 12 times and hit 9 balls. He scored 27 points alone, in addition to 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. When he was on the court, the team's score was still 16 points ahead, which shows that his contribution on the court was very large. Veteran T.J. McConnell also contributed 10 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. McConnell effectively controlled the rhythm of the court in the transition phase between the second and fourth quarters of the game. His steals were particularly impressive, with 3 steals coming directly from the Thunder's sideline balls. This anticipation and execution of the opponent's tactics was excellent. In addition, Obi Toppin also contributed 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. His scoring and defense appeared at the critical moments of the game, providing the team with necessary support. In sharp contrast to the outstanding performance of the Pacers' substitutes, the Thunder's substitutes only scored a total of 18 points in the whole game. As a result, the Pacers' substitutes scored 31 points more than the Thunder, and this huge gap directly affected the outcome of the game. This fully demonstrates the depth of the Pacers' lineup and the strength of their bench players.

In addition to the joint efforts of the players, the on-the-spot command and tactical adjustments of head coach Carlisle also played a decisive role in this victory. His coaching level is considered to be at the master level. Especially in the final stage of the game, when the game entered a white-hot stage, every substitution and tactical arrangement of Carlisle seemed very delicate and targeted. For example, with more than a minute left in the game, Carlisle first replaced Toppin with Turner, aiming to take advantage of Turner's inside defense and blocking ability. Sure enough, Turner immediately successfully blocked the Thunder's Holmgren's shot twice in a row after he came on the court. Then, when the Thunder's Jaylen Williams got a free throw opportunity, Carlisle quickly replaced Toppin again, in order to better protect the rebound after the free throw, although Jaylen Williams did not make the free throw in the end. Then, he replaced the players on the court with Marceline. Carlisle explained that he expected that the Thunder would probably adopt a full-court pressing defense strategy in the final moments, and replacing Marceline was to add a more stable ball-holding point to better deal with the opponent's pressing. In the end, Marceline made a steady free throw after being fouled, helping the team lock in the victory. Carlisle made these adjustments for almost every round of the game, showing his in-depth understanding of the game process and his ability to control details. His use of players is not static, but is adjusted at any time according to the actual situation on the field, rather than simply changing players according to a predetermined schedule. In addition, he also designed some key temporary tactics for the team, such as the key three-pointer hit by Nesmith in the final moments of the game, which was probably designed specifically for him. Although Nesmith did not have many shooting opportunities throughout the game, he seized the opportunity and hit the priceless three-pointer at the most critical moment. This reflects Coach Carlisle's excellent tactical arrangement ability and the reasonable use of player characteristics.

Of course, the Pacers' ability to win this game is also related to some problems of the Thunder themselves. In particular, their core player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a strong contender for this season's MVP, performed significantly worse in the last quarter of the game and seemed a little depressed. In the final moments of the game, the Thunder's offense was more dominated by Jaylen Williams, while Alexander did not show his dominance as usual. After the game, legendary star Magic Johnson pointed out in his analysis of the game that the Pacers' continuous high-intensity pressing defense throughout the game consumed Alexander's physical strength, which may be the main reason for his inefficient performance in the final moments of the game. From the data, Alexander made 9 of 20 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws, scoring 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks, but he also made as many as 6 turnovers. Especially in the crucial fourth quarter, he only scored 3 points. This shows that even top stars like him will be greatly restricted when facing the opponent's targeted and consuming defense. It is through this overall collaboration and high-intensity defense that the Pacers successfully restricted the Thunder's strongest attack point.

While winning this crucial victory, the Pacers also faced some worrying situations. It is reported that the team's center Myles Turner is in some physical discomfort. Although the player himself may not say it easily, head coach Carlisle confirmed this and said that Turner is working hard to overcome some difficulties and may not even participate in the next training. This shows that Turner is likely to insist on playing with injuries and working hard for the team. In addition, the team's core guard Tyrese Haliburton also seems to be troubled by injuries. After the last game, a reporter photographed him walking with a limp. A healthy lineup of players is crucial for the Pacers to continue to move forward in the playoffs. I hope that Turner and Haliburton's injuries are not too serious and can recover as soon as possible. If the main players cannot play normally due to injuries, it will be a huge challenge for the Pacers. I hope they can overcome difficulties and not fall short of success due to injuries at critical moments. That would be a pity.

Next, the Thunder will definitely seriously summarize this loss and make adjustments to the Pacers' style of play. The fourth game of the series will continue at the Pacers' home court on Saturday, June 14, Beijing time. The result of this game will be very critical. Can the Pacers take advantage of the victory to expand the total score to 3-1 and get the match point of the series, or can the Thunder adjust in time, make a comeback, tie the total score to 2-2, and keep the suspense of the series. This will be the biggest highlight of the next game.

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