RealGM Basketball Wiretap

15 June 2025

• Thunder Rally To Win Game 4 Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Historic Finish

  Oklahoma City Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in the final 4:38 to lead a dramatic comeback victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder won 111-104 to even the series at 2-2 after trailing by 10 points late in the third quarter.

  Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-of-24 shooting while recording no assists. His 15 fourth-quarter points represented the most by any player in the final three minutes of a Finals win in at least 50 years, according to ESPN Research.

  The performance included consecutive clutch shots that gave Oklahoma City the lead for good. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a spot-up 3-pointer with 2:58 remaining, then delivered a step-back jumper from the baseline with 2:23 left that put the Thunder ahead permanently.

  "I knew what it would have looked like if we lost tonight. I didn't want to go out not swinging," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "The guys deserve that much from me. The coaching staff deserves that much from me."

  Oklahoma City has established itself as a historically elite comeback team this season. The Thunder are 22-12 in games when trailing by double digits during the regular season and playoffs, the best record in those situations since at least 1997-98.

  Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised his star player's ability to elevate his performance when needed most. Alex Caruso contributed 20 points while Jalen Williams added 27 points in the victory.

  "He really didn't have it going a lot of the night. He was laboring. For him to be able to flip the switch like that just speaks to how great of a player he is," Daigneault said.
  The Thunder defense held Indiana to 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final frame, a feat not accomplished since Michael Jordan in the 1998 Finals.

• Pacers-Thunder Sees Peak Viewership In Game 3 Despite 20 Percent Drop From 2024 Finals

  Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder averaged 9.19 million viewers on ABC Wednesday, representing the series' highest-rated game despite declining 20 percent from last year's comparable matchup.

  The viewership figure marked a decrease from the 11.43 million viewers who watched Game 3 between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks in 2024. Indiana's 116-107 victory gave the Pacers a 2-1 series lead in a competitive contest where neither team held a double-digit advantage.

  The three-game average now stands at 8.95 million viewers, down 23 percent from the previous year's Finals. Current numbers trail other low-rated Finals series, including the 2007 Cavaliers-Spurs matchup (9.08 million) and the 2021 Suns-Bucks series (8.99 million).

  Game 3's competitive nature provided a five percent viewership increase over Game 2, despite the earlier game airing on Sunday. The close contest shifted betting odds significantly, with the Thunder moving from seven-to-one favorites to approximately two-to-one odds according to DraftKings.

  A longer, more competitive series could improve viewership for later games while generating additional revenue for the NBA and ESPN. The league has not featured a six-game Finals since 2022 or a seven-game series since 2016, when the decisive game drew 31 million viewers during the Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry peak.

• Tyrese Haliburton Following Pacers Win In Game 3: 'Our Bench Was Amazing'

  The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-1 series lead.

  Bennedict Mathurin lead the Pacers in scoring with 27 points off the bench. Tyrese Halliburton added 22 points, with Pascal Siakam scoring 21 points.

  "We just had guys make plays after plays," said Haliburton after the game. "Our bench was amazing.... It's a big win for us."

  The Pacers bench outscored the Thunder bench 49-18 in the game.

  Mathurin became the sixth player since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77 to score 25 points or more in a Finals at 22 years old or younger. T.J. McConnell also came off the bench to add 10 points, five assists, and five steals, becoming the first player in the finals to record that stat line.

  In 41 previous NBA Finals that were tied at 1-1, the team that won Game 3 has gone on to win the series 80.5% of the time.

  The Pacers are now 10-0 following losses since mid-March.

  Game 4 takes place on Friday night.

• Tyrese Haliburton Dealing With Ankle Injury

  Tyrese Haliburton was spotted with a noticeable limp after the Indiana Pacers' Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Haliburton hasn't been on the injury report and will play in Game 3. According to Shams Charania, Haliburton is dealing with an ankle injury.

  "What did catch my eye again is him limping right there uh and he said he had a lower body injury," said Charania on Wednesday's Pat McAfee Show. "I did some digging on it and I am told it is an ankle issue [and] some soreness that he's dealing with."

  Haliburton has been limited to just 13 field goal attempts and zero free throws in each of the first two games of the Finals as the Thunder have successfully limited his ability to get going offensively.

• Pacers 'Determined' To Enter Luxury Tax To Re-Sign Myles Turner

  The Indiana Pacers have "determined" that they are willing to enter the luxury tax to re-sign Myles Turner this offseason, according to Shams Charania.

  "The Pacers know they cannot afford to lose him as a free agent. There's mutual interest in getting a deal done.

  "But in doing so, I'm told the Pacers have determined that they will be entering the luxury tax next season for the first time in 20 years. They want to keep this core in tact," said Charania on Sunday.

  It has been rumored that Turner could command a salary starting around $20-$25 million per season.

  Turner averaged 15.6 points and 6.5 rebounds this year.

  The Pistons are also linked with Turner.

• Game 1 Of NBA Finals Draws Lowest Non-COVID Year Audience Since 2007

  The Indiana Pacers' 111-110 comeback win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals drew an average audience of 8.91 million viewers, which was down 19 percent from Game 1 of the 2024 Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. The viewership was the NBA's lowest for a non-COVID Finals Game 1 since 9.21 million viewers tuned in for 2007 San Antonio Spurs-Cleveland Cavaliers.

  The Thunder entered the series as heavy favorites, so it remains to be seen whether Indiana's thrilling comeback will give ABC an increase for Game 2. A competitive series typically has an increase in viewership as it progresses.

  By comparison, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and New York Knicks drew 8.12 million viewers.

  ABC is closing in on a sellout of its ad inventory for Games 2-5. If the series reaches six games, the network should generate above $265 million in paid airtime.

• Tyrese Haliburton Hits Game-Winner As Pacers Stun Thunder 111-110 In Game 1 Of Finals

  Tyrese Haliburton converted a 21-foot jumper over Cason Wallace with 0.3 seconds remaining to give the Indiana Pacers its first and only lead, completing a historic comeback as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

  The shot marked the latest game-winner in Finals history since Michael Jordan's Game 1 shot in 1997 to defeat the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN Research. Indiana's first lead coming with 0.3 seconds left was the latest into any Finals game over the past 50 years.

  The Pacers trailed by 15 points with 9:42 remaining before mounting the second-largest upset in Finals history over the past 35 seasons. Indiana closed as 10-point underdogs against a Thunder team that entered 36-1 at home when leading by 15 points.

  Rick Carlisle's squad has become masters of late-game heroics throughout these playoffs. The Pacers previously overcame deficits of seven points with 34.6 seconds left against Milwaukee, seven points with 48 seconds left against Cleveland, and nine points with 51.1 seconds left against New York.

  "We're a resilient group," Haliburton said afterward during an interview on ESPN's "SportsCenter." "We just keep saying that to you guys. You guys keep asking us, and we keep giving you the same answer. We're a resilient group and we don't give up till the clock hits zero. We do a great job of just staying in the moment. Try to get from 15 to 10 (down), 10 to 5, 5 to 0. We just walk teams down. Real proud of this group."

  Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 19 points while Obi Toppin added 17. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 38 points for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder didn't score past the 1:27 mark in the fourth quarter.

  The comeback matched the largest fourth-quarter rally in Finals history since Dallas overcame a 15-point deficit against Miami in 2011. Carlisle coached those Mavericks as well.

  The Pacers had 19 turnovers in the first half, but settled down in the second half to finish with 25 in total. The Pacers had an offensive rating of 110.0 with 101 possessions in the game. Indiana had an eFG% of .585 compared to .454 for Oklahoma City to make up the possession differential.

  "We've had lots of experience in these kinds of games," Carlisle said.

  "They keep coming. They keep playing. They made plays," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They deserve to win by a point. We got to learn from it."

• Pacers Draw Heavy Public Backing Despite Thunder Attracting Sharp Money

  The Indiana Pacers are the biggest Finals underdogs in 20 years at 5-1, but they are receiving strong support from the betting public. ESPN BET reported Thursday that 78 percent of the bets on the series winner were on Indiana, while nearly 90 percent of the money that had been wagered was on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

  In order for a bettor to win $100, they would have to risk $700 on the Thunder.

  The Detroit Pistons were also 5-1 underdogs in the 2004 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, which they went on to win in five games.

  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a -550 favorite to win Finals MVP.

• Thunder-Pacers Among Top Mismatches In NBA Finals History, Continuing Modern Trend

  For the third straight season, the NBA has a Finals team with a Net Rating outside the top-10 as the Indiana Pacers ranked 12th in the category during the regular season while the Oklahoma City Thunder were first. With teams reaching the Finals outside the top-10 in Net Rating, we've also seen more significant disparities between the two teams.

  The 2023 Finals between the Nuggets and Heat had the largest disparity, with Denver ranked 6th in Net Rating facing Miami, who ranked a distant 21st. The 2024 and 1999 Finals are tied for second place with 13-spot differences, while 2025 and 2018 are tied for fourth with 11-spot gaps. All four of those previous series were decided in five or fewer games.

  NBA Finals Net Rating Rankings & Differences
  
  2025: Thunder, 1st / Pacers, 12th (11 spot difference)
  2024: Celtics, 1st / Mavericks, 14th (13 spots)
  2023: Nuggets, 6th / Heat, 21st (15 spots)
  2022: Warriors, 5th / Celtics, 2nd (3 spots)
  2021: Bucks, 4th / Suns, 3rd (1 spot)
  2020: Lakers, 5th / Heat, 7th (2 spots)
  2019: Raptors, 3rd / Warriors, 2nd (1 spot)
  2018: Warriors, 3rd / Cavaliers, 14th (11 spots)
  2017: Warriors, 1st / Cavaliers, 7th (6 spots)
  2016: Cavaliers, 4th / Warriors, 2nd (2 spots)
  2015: Warriors, 1st / Cavaliers, 5th (4 spots)
  2014: Spurs, 1st / Heat, 4th (3 spots)
  2013: Heat, 2nd / Spurs, 4th (2 spots)
  2012: Heat, 4th / Thunder, 3rd (1 spot)
  2011: Mavericks, 8th / Heat, 1st (7 spots)
  2010: Lakers, 7th / Celtics, 9th (2 spots)
  2009: Lakers, 3rd / Magic, 4th (1 spot)
  2008: Celtics, 1st / Lakers, 3rd (2 spots)
  2007: Spurs, 1st / Cavaliers, 7th (6 spots)
  2006: Heat, 6th / Mavericks, 3rd (3 spots)
  2005: Spurs, 1st / Pistons, 6th (5 spots)
  2004: Pistons, 2nd / Lakers, 7th (5 spots)
  2003: Spurs, 3rd / Nets, 4th (1 spot)
  2002: Lakers, 2nd / Nets, 5th (3 spots)
  2001: Lakers, 8th / Sixers, 5th (3 spots)
  2000: Lakers, 1st / Pacers, 6th (5 spots)
  1999: Spurs, 1st / Knicks, 14th (13 spots)
  1998: Bulls, 3rd / Jazz, 4th (1 spot)
  1997: Bulls, 1st / Jazz, 2nd (1 spot)
  1996: Bulls, 1st / Sonics, 2nd (1 spot)
  1995: Rockets, 11th / Magic, 3rd (8 spots)
  1994: Rockets, 6th / Knicks, 2nd (4 spots)
  1993: Bulls, 2nd / Suns, 4th (2 spots)
  1992: Bulls, 1st / Blazers, 2nd (1 spot)
  1991: Bulls, 1st / Lakers, 3rd (2 spots)
  1990: Pistons, 3rd / Blazers, 4th (1 spot)
  1989: Pistons, 4th / Lakers, 3rd (1 spot)
  1988: Lakers, 2nd / Pistons, 3rd (1 spot)

• Knicks-Pacers Game 6 Averages 8.12M Viewers

  Game 6 between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks averaged 8.12 million viewers across TNT and truTV.

  The Pacers' series-clinching win was the most-watched game of the season.

  The game peaked with 9.91 million viewers.

  The full six-game series averaged 6.96 million viewers, up 10% from the Celtics-Pacers last year.

  The Thunder-Timberwolves series in the Western Conference finals averaged 5.59 million viewers.