The Thunder slaughtered at home! SGA scored 72 points and broke the record + substitute scored 38 points! 1-1 equalizer!

NBA Finals G2, the Thunder beat the Pacers 123-107 at home, tied the series to 1-1. In this game, the Thunder Three Young Masters + Substitute Cluster exploded, crushing the Pacers on both ends of offense and defense. Alexander even showed his MVP level, scoring 34 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals, directly setting a new NBA record - he scored 72 points in the first two finals of his career, surpassing Iverson (71 points) and becoming the first person in history!

Alexander's Night of the Gods, and in one battle it out, SGA once again proved that it was the coldest-blooded killer in the league today. He first let his teammates find the touch in the first half, and took over the game directly in the second half. He had no singles in the middle distance, broke through and caused kills, and had three-pointers at critical moments. The Pacers could not defend themselves at all! What's even more terrifying is that he also contributed 4 steals on the defensive end, and the offense and defense were directly full. In this game, Alexander directly scored a record: in the first two games of the finals, he scored 72 points, the first in history (original record Iverson 71 points)

9 consecutive playoffs at home, tied with Chamberlain to tie for the first place in history

The 13th time in the playoffs this season, the first in the Thunder team in history

The total score exceeded 3,000 points in a single season (regular season + playoffs), and the 12th person in history (compared with legends such as Jordan, Kobe, Durant)

This performance is a true superstar! Some fans joked: "SGA is going to make the finals a solo show!"

Thunder adjustments take effect: Two towers + substitute firepower is fully opened

G1 lost, the Thunder quickly made adjustments, and this game significantly added the two tower combination of Chet + Harten. The effect was immediate - Chetchet went crazy in the quarter, with strong attacks from the inside and three-pointers from the outside, contributing 22 points and 10 rebounds in the whole game; Harten was responsible for supporting and defending, and rebound protection was excellent. When the two towers were on the court, the Thunder's defensive coverage area was directly full, and the Pacers' breakthroughs and empty cuts were all locked.

More importantly, the Thunder substitute finally stood up! Aaron Wiggins scored 5 of 5 three-pointers and scored 18 points, Caruso scored 20 points in 4 three-pointers, and the two scored 38 points together, which was more than the Pacers' entire bench (25 points)! You know, the Pacers are known for their bench depth, but this game was directly hit by the Thunder's substitute.

Defense suffocation! The Thunder locks Halliburton + Siakam

G1 Pacers can win because of the explosion of Halliburton and Siakam. But in this game, the Thunder's defensive strategy is extremely clear - single-defense locks the core and does not give you a chance to shoot easily. Dort, Wallace and Caruso fought against Halliburton in turn, which made him score only 14 points in the game; Siakam was interfered by Chet and Harten's long arms, and his efficiency plummeted.

The Pacers' best fast break and three-pointer were strangled to death, with the team's three-point shooting percentage being only 32%, while the Thunder reached 45%. The Thunder also won 10 rebounds and completely controlled the pace of the game. Although the Pacers lost, their home advantage was still there

Although this miserable defeat, the Pacers were not actually panic - they stole a away game and are now taking 1-1 back to Indiana. G1 and their reversals rely on resilience. Although G2 was crushed, the suspense of the series was far from over. The problem with the Pacers is:

Rebounding disadvantage: They are the team at the bottom of the front board in the regular season. It may have been a coincidence that G1 scored 13 front boards, and this game was suppressed by the Thunder again.

Core stability: Halliburton and Siakam must burst out at least one person, otherwise it will be difficult to attack the Thunder.

Outlook G3: Can the Pacers rebound at home?

The next two games in Indiana, the Pacers must respond:

Speed ​​up: They need to bring the game into the fast break mode they are familiar with and avoid falling into the Thunder's positional battle defensive trap.

Three-pointers rebound: The outside shooter group (such as Nemhard and Nesmith) must seize the opportunity to open.

Halliburton's Awakening: As the team's brain, he needs to play more aggressively and cannot rely solely on passing.

And for the Thunder, as long as they maintain the offense and defense strength of G2, they still have a great chance to steal a victory away. This round of series will likely end up in tiebreak!

G2's Thunder demonstrates championship-level adjustment ability, while the Pacers expose their shortcomings in tough battles. But the score of 1-1 means that the real decisive battle has just begun. In the next game, Indiana's home atmosphere will surely be hot. Can Halliburton lead the team to rebound? Will Alexander continue to perform super-godly? Let's wait and see!