Finals G5 Preview: Won the Tianwang Mountain 31 Team 23 Championships The Pacers have not suffered a losing streak for 3 months

At 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on June 17, the NBA Finals will stage the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, and the Thunder will play the Pacers at home. In the first 4 games, the two teams drew 2-2, and in the crucial 5th game, who can win?

The Oklahoma City vs. Indiana finals are small-market matchups, and the numbers reflect that:Viewership in the U.S. is down about 20% from last season's Finals (Celtics vs. Mavericks).But the Thunder and Pacers still played a good matchup. The first four games were stalemate, and now the championship will be decided through a best-of-three system. In Game 5, the Thunder are trying to take a big lead for the first time in this year's Finals, while the Pacers are hoping to return home with the advantage of "winning one more game and winning the championship".

"Honestly, I don't care," Pacers star Haliburton responded when asked what he would say to those who didn't watch the Finals, "it's high-level basketball and I'm excited to be a part of it." ”

In the first game, the Pacers fought back wildly, and Haliburton completed the stunner; In the second game, the Thunder showed their dominance in most games this season, taking control of the situation early and winning easily; In the third game in Indiana, the Pacers bench helped the team win; In the fourth game, Alexander played an MVP-level performance, scoring 15 points in the last five minutes to lead the Thunder to a comeback victory.

The two teams are currently tied 2-2 on aggregate. The Thunder are averaging 3.3 points per game to outperform the Pacers, and the Pacers are shooting 1.4 percent more from the field than the Thunder.In the past 15 years, there have only been three times in the first four Finals games (a 2-2 draw, a margin of less than 3.3 points, and a margin of 1.4% on shooting): the 2022 Warriors vs. Celtics, the 2011 Mavericks vs. Heat, and this series.

"I think from an outside perspective, it's good for the league," Caruso said, "and it's good for basketball." The styles of these two teams represent the best form of basketball at the moment – the defensive end is pressing, impactful, and aggressive, and can make mistakes; On the offensive end, he is fluid and free, with both shooting and passing...... It's a great style of basketball. ”

This means that whether or not more viewers start to pay attention, this Grand Final could become a classic.

"We cherish the opportunity to play to this stage of the season," Thunder coach Daigneault said, "and when you get to this late stage, the opponent is going to be very strong." They, like us, have won 12 games to get here. You know it's going to be an unbelievably high-level matchup, and a lot of the moments you're going to be like, 'This is the best of the best'. ”

This is the 32nd time that the finals have been tied 2-2 before the fifth match. In the previous 31 times, there were 23 cases in which the side that won the battle of Tennoyama finally won the championship.

"We're all just two wins away," Haliburton said.

Alexander has scored 3,091 points this season, including the regular season and playoffs, which ranks 18th in NBA history. The regular season MVP is expected to climb several more spots before the Finals are over. He was just 72 points shy of Jordan's 1991-92 3,163 (10th all-time).

"I think the most important thing is that it's a lot of fun," Alexander said of his first trip to the Grand Finals, "and it's exactly what I dreamed of from a young age. There's no place in the world that I want to go more than this, and I'm grateful to be here, and of course grateful for the experience. ”

The Pacers' resilience is about to be tested again.The Pacers have not lost streak since mid-March, and during that time they have a 10-0 record in their next game after the loss.

"We play better when we're on our back," Turner said, "and adversity brings out the best in you." I think that's essentially a response...... When you're in a desperate situation, you tend to play your best basketball. ”

Counting the regular season, playoffs and play-offs, the NBA has won 597 games this season, tying last season's total and just one less than the previous record of 598 wins set in 2021-22. If the Pacers beat the Thunder on the road in the Battle of Kings Mountain, the number of NBA away wins this season will tie the 2021-22 season and tie for the most all-time wins.

List of injuries and illnesses

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson, Jareth Walker are out

Thunder: Nikola Topic is out

ESPN Predicted G5 Win Percentage:Pacers 39.1%, Thunder 60.9%