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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Indiana Pacers’ quest for a flawless start in the first two games of the playoffs has encountered a setback.
Instead, they will have to accept a split in the opening matchups of the NBA Finals.
The Pacers aimed to make history as the fifth team to start the playoffs 8-0 — by winning both Games 1 and 2 in each of their four series — but their attempt was halted on Sunday night by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder gained early momentum and secured a decisive 123-107 victory in Game 2, leveling the championship series at one game each.
“Any time you’re a lower seed in a playoff matchup, your goal is to either split or snag one on the road,” said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. “We managed to take Game 1, but it felt like we let things slip away during the second quarter.”
And indeed, they did: a staggering 19-2 run by the Thunder in that quarter allowed them to seize control, resulting in a final margin of 16 points.
The Pacers were striving to join the ranks of the 1986 Boston Celtics, 1987 Los Angeles Lakers, 1996 Chicago Bulls, and 2017 Golden State Warriors, all of whom won both Games 1 and 2 in each round of a single postseason. Each of those teams went on to claim the NBA championship.
It’s worth noting all those teams enjoyed home-court advantage throughout their respective series. Conversely, the Pacers have not had that advantage since the first round, where they won the initial two games against Milwaukee, then took the first pair of contests in Round 2 against Cleveland, followed by the first two in the Eastern Conference finals against New York, and Game 1 of the Finals in Oklahoma City.
Ultimately, the Pacers finish with a 7-1 record, tying for the fifth-best overall performance in Games 1 and 2 of a single playoff season. They’ve also become the third team to secure five road wins in those games during a playoff journey.
“I think the goal is to win every game,” noted Pacers forward Pascal Siakam. “So, we aren’t pleased with today’s outcome, plain and simple.”
The Houston Rockets were 5-3 in road Games 1 and 2 on their path to the championship in 1995, and the Miami Heat also went 5-3 in their playoff series during 2023. (While the Heat posted a 6-2 record in “road” Games 1 and 2 of the 2020 bubble playoffs, all those games occurred in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.)
“I’m not focused on the past,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “Each day during a playoff journey is like starting fresh. I consider dwelling on previous events to be risky. We must concentrate on what lies ahead.”
Had the Pacers emerged victorious on Sunday, they would likely have been strong favorites heading back home with a 2-0 lead. Only two teams — the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets — have managed to win the first two games of the Finals on the road, both of whom went on to capture the NBA title that season. Teams that secure a 2-0 lead in the Finals tend to win the series 86.5% of the time (32 wins out of 37 occasions).
“Stay composed. We know where we stand,” stated Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith. “We understand what improvements we need to make and we just have to execute our game plan more effectively.”
