Andrew Nembhard joins NBA TV to talk about Indiana's mindset for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
OKLAHOMA CITY — If the Indiana Pacers win this championship, their journey will reflect Tyrese Haliburton’s big last-minute shots, the crisp ball movement, improved defense, Rick Carlisle’s deft coaching decisions, solid bench contributions, all that.
But a 2025 championship isn’t mathematically possible unless the Pacers ask for at least one more serving of the secret sauce, which made all of this possible:
Winning on the road.
Their postseason record in hostile territory is 7-3 — and counting, they hope — an impressive achievement considering six of those wins came against higher-seeded teams.
The mental toughness, fortitude and confidence expressed by the Pacers is all-time stuff, and there are previous NBA champions who never managed that winning percentage. If the Pacers do win another road game in the 2025 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, this chest-beating achievement should be engraved on their rings.
So that’s the challenge, again, for the Pacers: win Monday (8:30 ET, ABC) at Paycom Center or, if necessary, in a Game 7.
The Thunder’s home arena is lauded for being loud. It’s an intimidating place for visitors for two reasons — the greatness of the Thunder, and also the cranky atmosphere, which can feel like an intimate, intense college basketball experience.
Yet the Pacers are a real threat in Game 5, given their pattern of causing disruptions throughout their playoff run and ability to silence even the loudest crowds. As in: Nothing they see or hear at Paycom will be more challenging than the playoff vibe at Madison Square Garden, where they won not just once, but twice.
“Stay in the moment,” said Pacers center Myles Turner, explaining the road approach. “It’s a hostile environment, and, in the end, this is what you dream of, playing in these environments with the highest stakes possible. I think that’s really what it is. We come together when moments get tough and just figure it out.”
Indiana’s 7 Postseason Road Victories, Ranked
1. Game 1, Eastern Conference Finals
Score: 138-135 (OT) in New York
This was the Haliburton high-bounce-off-the-rim shot, a long 2-pointer — originally believed to be a 3-pointer — at the buzzer, which sent the game into overtime. Haliburton grabbed his throat in a salute to Reggie Miller, whose past theatrics in New York are well documented. But the Pacers had to pull it out in OT to complete the task.
2. Game 1, NBA Finals
Score: 111-110 in OKC
Chasing History: All-access pass as Pacers win Game 1 in OKC
Haliburton again. His shot in the final second shocked the Thunder, who had chances to pull ahead but crumbled. The Pacers were solid down the stretch, nonetheless, and by winning, they put the Finals on red alert.
3. Game 2, East Finals
Score: 114-109 in New York
Any follow-up to a Game 1 road win is typically difficult for the visitors, yet the Pacers showed they weren’t willing to settle for a 1-1 split in New York. Pascal Siakam went nuts with 39 points, and this performance ultimately helped him win the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
4. Game 5, Eastern Conference semifinals
Score: 114-105 in Cleveland
The Pacers were down 19 points at halftime and rallied. Most impressively, they closed out the Cavs in Cleveland, which is high on the degree of difficulty in the playoffs. Haliburton dropped 31 points and Turner had a dagger 3-pointer for a third straight win in Cleveland, sealing a trip to the conference finals.
5. Game 1, East semis
Score: 121-112 in Cleveland
The Pacers opened this series with a surprise, embarking on a 15-4 run in the fourth to seal it. Haliburton was all-around solid, with defense, playmaking and shot-making.
6. Game 4, Eastern Conference first round
Score: 129-103 in Milwaukee
This finish wasn’t as suspenseful as the road wins that followed, but still a show of dominance by the Pacers. The Bucks, deflated by Damian Lillard’s Achilles injury, trailed by only three points at the time.
7. Game 2, East semis
Score: 120-119 in Cleveland
The only reason this isn’t higher is because the Cavs were missing Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter. Haliburton sank a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to add to his expanding clutch reputation and stun the Cavs. This is where he rushed in to grab a missed free throw, then dribbled out to the arc. Great sequence.
Now the Pacers have a task just as tough, if not more difficult, in Game 5 and possibly a Game 7. Their last visit to OKC wasn’t too inspiring, and actually, it was Indiana’s worst game of the series, losing by 16.
4 Pacers concerns for Game 5
1. Siakam can’t be a bystander
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers could use a 4th-quarter lift from Pascal Siakam in Game 5.
The Pacers’ leading scorer took one shot in the fourth quarter of the Game 4 loss. It’s partly because he sat for the first three minutes of the quarter, partly because of OKC’s defense and also the lack of ball movement by the Pacers. It was the recipe for doom for Indiana.
“That can’t happen,” Carlisle said. “He is a guy that if we are not playing through him, he needs to touch the ball more. His experience has been a major part of the growth of our team and our young guys over the last two years. We’ve just got to make sure that he gets more than one shot in the fourth.”
2. The defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This is an obvious key, but it’s heightened now because Gilgeous-Alexander responded nicely from a below-par Game 3.
3. Getting something from Turner
He was very effective defensively at the close of Game 3, but his offense, especially his 3-point shooting (4-for-20), and rebounding (nine in the last three games) are suffering. Speaking of suffering — Turner has been plagued by illness this series.
“I’m all right,” he said. “No excuses this time of year, it is what it is. People get sick all the time. You can’t stop the train from rolling. Take it for what it is, take my medicine and get rolling.”
The Pacers are turning to Obi Toppin to absorb a portion of those big-man minutes, and at times, Toppin responded, especially with transition buckets. But at 6-foot-9, he has a size disadvantage and can be error-prone.
4. Aggressive four quarters by Haliburton
Rinse, repeat. “It’s going to be a tough game to win,” said Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard. “Got to be tightened together and weather the storms of the crowd and momentum. It’s not going to be easy.”
It never is, especially in the Finals. The Pacers’ 7-3 road record this postseason only makes it look effortless. They’ll need an eighth win to give themselves a chance against OKC.
“We’ve played here before,” said Pacers swingman Benedict Mathurin. “We’ve won here before. For us, it’s 0-0. All we have to do is win the next game.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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