The Indiana Pacers were on the doorstep of history. With a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter of Game 4, they were within reach of taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. The Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd could sense how close they were to moving one win away from the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship. But then, everything unraveled. The Oklahoma City Thunder stormed back with a furious fourth-quarter rally, stealing a 111-104 win that evened the series at two games apiece.
After the game, Pascal Siakam, one of Indiana’s most experienced voices, offered a brutally honest assessment of what went wrong down the stretch.
“We took some shots, we missed them,” Siakam said post-game. “They made shots, and they went to the free-throw line a lot of times. We just did not execute at the end of the game. We did not get easy shots. The easy shots that we got, we missed them.”
Pascal Siakam on the Pacers’ end of game offense:
“We just didn’t execute at the end of the game.” pic.twitter.com/yBPARQ66UM
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 14, 2025
Siakam’s words perfectly captured the story of the Pacers’ collapse. In a game where they controlled much of the action for three quarters, the fourth quarter exposed their inability to maintain composure and offensive rhythm when the pressure reached its peak.
Indiana’s offense, which had been sharp throughout much of the playoffs, went ice-cold at the worst possible time. In the fourth quarter alone, the Pacers shot just five of 18 from the field and failed to register a single assist until the final moments. Ball movement stopped, open looks disappeared, and confidence seemed to drain from every possession. As the Thunder turned up their defensive intensity, Indiana could not respond.
The Pacers’ struggles were not limited to offense. Rebounding, something they had controlled for much of the night, became another critical weakness late in the game. Oklahoma City grabbed multiple offensive rebounds during the closing minutes, turning second-chance opportunities into crucial points. Every missed box-out seemed to further shift momentum toward the Thunder.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma City’s stars stepped up when it mattered most. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge, scoring 15 of his game-high 35 points in the final frame. Jalen Williams added 27 points of his own, while Alex Caruso delivered 20 key points off the bench, providing defense and timely offense.
Indiana entered the fourth quarter in control, but once Oklahoma City began to close the gap, the Pacers never found an answer. Each possession became more tense, each miss more costly. The open shots they had hit earlier in the game rimmed out late, and the Thunder’s defensive adjustments made life increasingly difficult for Indiana’s guards.
Siakam led the Pacers with 20 while adding eight rebounds and five assists. The thirty-one-year-old veteran was brought to Indiana precisely for moments like this. His championship experience, earned during his time in Toronto, where he helped lead the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title, was supposed to guide Indiana’s younger core through the pressure of the Finals.
At six-foot-eight, the former 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft had grown into one of the league’s premier two-way forwards. His versatility and poise had been instrumental in Indiana’s playoff run, which included his recent honor as Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Even with Siakam’s steady presence, the Pacers could not stop their unraveling. Tyrese Haliburton, who had orchestrated the offense masterfully throughout much of the postseason, finished with 18 points and seven assists but shot poorly on threes. Obi Toppin chipped in seventeen off the bench but could not spark the offense once Oklahoma City seized control.
For Indiana, the path forward is clear but difficult. They must regroup mentally and physically, and the rebounding battle must be addressed immediately. The team needs to secure defensive boards to prevent Oklahoma City from creating extra possessions, and they must also reignite the ball movement that has defined their best performances. When Indiana plays with pace, shares the ball, and forces defenses to rotate, they are at their best. That identity disappeared in the fourth quarter of Game 4.
The Pacers still have the talent to win this series. Siakam, Haliburton, Mathurin, Turner, and Toppin form a balanced group capable of competing with any team. But they must rediscover their poise and execution under pressure if they hope to reclaim control.
Game 5 looms as the defining moment of this tight finale. The Pacers can reclaim their footing and swing the momentum back in their favor, or allow this missed opportunity to haunt them for the rest of the series. Siakam’s honest postgame words reflect the reality facing Indiana. The time for adjustments is now, and the margin for error is gone.
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