Thursday evening was Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. As the No. 1 seed in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Indiana Pacers. They were 10 points favourites heading into the game.
However, the Pacers never gave up and made another unlikely fourth quarter comeback. I’ve done it many times in the 2025 playoffs. Thunder has brought the Pacers back into Game 1 despite a 15 points gain over nine-quarters of a minute. Tyrese Haliburton’s 21-foot jump shot won the Indiana game. After Game 1, Shaquille O’Neal received harsh criticism against OKC.
The Thunder blew a great opportunity to win Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals
Shaquille O’Neal Storms ESPN Set Comedy Flare to roast his future teammate in the air https://t.co/qmpry6ei2d
– M Sports (@msports_all) June 6, 2025
In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers pulled apart another fourth quarter comeback to thunder. Tyree Halliburton had 0.3 seconds left after nailing a jump shot to win the game. Despite being a huge favorite to take part in the final, OKC lost Game 1 at home. After Thursday’s loss, NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal didn’t hold back when the Thunder was talking about losing Game 1. He was saying this.
“It’s not just another game. I think this is the first time I’m in,” O’Neill said. “There may be another chance you won’t come back. This is not another game. This is the NBA Finals. This is a championship run. You need to have that killer. – Shaquille O’Neill
O’Neal emphasizes the importance of clearing up a team when there is a chance. OKC had plenty of opportunities to do that in Game 1. However, the Pacers continued their fight and slowly deleted the lead. The Thunder led for 47 minutes and 59 seconds in Game 1, but still lost. Game 2 is 8pm EST on Sunday. Oklahoma City are eager to win and will not be late in the NBA Finals 2-0.