9 years! This is the first time that the NBA Finals has ushered in a Game 7 since 2016. But what is more shocking than this record is the score of Game 6 - the Pacers slaughtered the first-place Thunder in the West 108-91 at home, and directly cut a 36-17 crushing difference in the first half, leading by 30 points at most! What's more magical is that the Thunder team seemed to be under a spell: 8 of 30 three-pointers, 18 turnovers, only 12 points from the bench, and even Holmgren scored 4 points in vain. On the Pacers side, Haliburton, who was injured, connected the team with 7 points and 8 assists, McConnell scored 12 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists as a substitute, and even Nesmith became a surprise player.
Collapse in the first half: Pacers' three-point rain + suffocating defense
At the beginning of the game, the Thunder still posed as the defending champion, and Jaylen Williams scored 6 points with a breakthrough and shot. But the Pacers suddenly showed their killer move - full-court press + three-point rain! Toppin made two three-pointers in a row after coming off the bench, and Nembhard stole the ball and dunked on the fast break. Before the half was over, the Pacers had already made 8 steals and forced the Thunder to make 12 turnovers. The most fatal thing was Haliburton's connection: he made 5 assists in the first half, and each breakthrough was as accurate as a scalpel to find open teammates. The Pacers' three-point shooting rate soared to 37.5%, while the Thunder only made 1 of 11 shots from the outside.
Dual core collapse: Alexander made 8 turnovers, setting a record, and Jaywe's plus-minus value was -40
The Thunder side was a disaster scene. Alexander made 7 of 21 shots in the whole game, and 8 turnovers directly ruined the game. When he was double-teamed in the second quarter, his passes were intercepted 3 times in a row, and he was so anxious that he threw a towel on the sidelines. Jaylen Williams was even more outrageous: he just scored 40 points in Game 5, and made 5 of 16 shots in Game 6, with a plus-minus value of -40, setting the worst record in the history of the Finals. Holmgren was even more invisible, and his performance of 4 points and 6 rebounds made fans call him "fake No. 1 pick". On the other hand, Siakam of the Pacers built a no-fly zone with 16 points and 13 rebounds, McConnell grabbed 9 frontcourt rebounds, and even the bench contributed 28 points.
Referee controversy: the whistle is more eye-catching than the ball
The turning point of this game is hidden in the details-G5 referee Mark Davis protected the Thunder, and the penalty suddenly changed after the "Tony brothers" were replaced in G6. The Pacers caused 21 Thunder turnovers throughout the game, but the referee turned a blind eye to Alexander's fall, and Dort's 5 flopped falls were not called. Fans dug up the old account of the Western Conference Finals: At that time, the Thunder was bloodbathed by the Timberwolves by 42 points, and the referee was also "selectively blind". What's even more ironic is that when the Pacers used tough defense to break down their opponents in Game 6, the commentator suddenly said, "This whistle is as loose as the opening of a nightclub in Oklahoma City!"
On the eve of Game 7: The ultimate showdown between the interest chain and the grassroots counterattack
This game hides the most naked truth of the NBA: ratings! The league's playoff ratings plummeted by 30% this year, and Xiao Hua was so anxious that he urged progress overnight. But the Pacers didn't play by the rules - they used team basketball to tear apart the "superstar basketball" filter, Haliburton played with an injury for 22 minutes, and McConnell grabbed rebounds more fiercely than the center. On the other hand, the Thunder's social media exploded after losing Game 6: "We have the best record in the league and we are playing like this, why don't we disband!" What's even crazier is the change in odds: before Game 6, the Pacers' odds were +3.5, and they soared to +1.8 after the game. Gamblers were betting wildly on the "grassroots miracle".
Details: Those terrifying moments
The Thunder team grabbed 23 rebounds in total, but the Pacers scored 25 points with second-chance offense
Jayson Tatum wore custom sneakers in Game 6, with "Don't trust the referee" printed on the tongue
Pacers fans held signs outside the stadium: "It only costs $100 million to buy off Silver?"
The referee report shows that the Pacers were called for 9 offensive fouls in Game 6, while the Thunder were only called for 3
In the last 7 minutes of the game, the Thunder bench was eating fried chicken and watching the game
When the score difference in Game 6 reached 30 points, the Pacers' home court suddenly sounded the "Star Wars" BGM, and the fans shouted in unison: "The script is reversed!" This seemingly joking shout hit everyone's pain point - from the controversial whistle in Game 5 to the collapse of Game 6, from the pressure of ratings to the game of interest chains, the NBA is no longer a pure basketball court. But think about it from another angle: if even a "civilian team" like the Pacers can force a seventh game, how much passion is left in this league?
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