The Indiana Pacers led Game 4 of the NBA Finals for the majority of the three quarters. However, the Thunder came back with a bang in the fourth quarter to win Game 4 and level the series 2-2, heading for Game 5 at Paycom Center.

The Thunder struggled to keep up with the relentless Indiana offense throughout the game. However, they remained in touching distance of the Pacers, and managed an excellent comeback to level the series, guaranteeing Game 6.

The Thunder found their shooting range in the fourth quarter as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and Jalen Williams had 27 to help the Thunder rally from a 10-point deficit to beat the Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.

Pacers Game 5 strategy: Adjustments needed to counter Thunder surge

The Pacers entered the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead over Oklahoma City but failed to assert their dominance and secure the win. Therefore, the Thunder started efficiently running the offense with the help of their bench and Gilgeous-Alexander, making the most out of the Pacers' collapse.

Blowing a lead late in the game has put Rick Carlisle under pressure as the Pacers hold the title for making epic comebacks this season. Therefore, to see his team crumble in the later stages of the game is something nobody expected.

Defensive focus in Crunch time

The Pacers had good stretches of dominant defense early on, but completely lost composure in the fourth quarter. As a result, Oklahoma City exploited mismatches and targeted Tyrese Haliburton in pick-and-roll switches.

Meanwhile, they need to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander more aggressively, who scored more than 30 points, and rotate faster. The lapse in communication and focus proved costly for the Pacers in the fourth quarter, who looked at the Thunder in disbelief, coming back in the game, and securing the victory.

Carlisle must implement stronger perimeter defensive schemes late in the game, possibly by going small with Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard as the primary point-of-attack defenders. Therefore, something needs to change defensively if the Pacers want to take command of Game 5 at the Paycom Center.

Smarter shot selection & late-game execution

The Pacers went scoreless for a stretch and took rushed, low-percentage shots. Haliburton settled for contested threes instead of attacking the rim in the later stages of the game. Haliburton must get downhill to force defensive rotations, and players like Siakam and Turner should be ready for dump-offs or kick-outs.

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Tyrese Haliburton scored eight of the Pacers' 17 points in the period on 3 of 7 shooting. The rest of the team was 2 of 11. More importantly, Indiana must get back to their ball-movement identity; their stagnant offense late let OKC lock in defensively. The game was tied at 91, tied at 95, tied at 97, and, finally, the lead: Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-back with 2:23 left on the clock, put the Thunder up 104-103, their first lead of the second half.

Bench reliability and rotations

The Thunder's bench was once again effective when they were needed. Alex Caruso scored 20 points, while his opponents had a quiet day. Obi Toppin scored 17 points and had 7 rebounds, marking another strong performance.

Center Chet Holmgren scored 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Isaiah Hartenstein had 2 points and 6 rebounds. The Thunder's additional height on the court was beneficial.

Carlisle should tighten rotations but stagger minutes to always keep a creator (Haliburton or Nembhard) on the floor with bench units. Meanwhile, he should also consider re-integrating T.J. McConnell for energy and tempo, as he was a spark plug earlier in the playoffs.

 

Indiana’s second unit needs simpler, higher-efficiency plays rather than being asked to generate on their own against OKC’s bench mob.