Pacers vs. Thunder Game 7: The keys and X-factors that could power the

With the NBA Finals going the distance and culminating with a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City, let’s look at some potential keys for the very last game of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Indiana Pacers

Keep sharing the ball

The Pacers are a dynamic offensive group, and their ability to overwhelm an otherwise elite Thunder defense is more than noteworthy.

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How does it work? By not forcing the ball one specific way. Every Pacer who has logged over 100 minutes in these Finals — that’s eight, if you are counting at home — is averaging double-digit scoring, and that’s very much by design.

Head coach Rick Carlisle has every interest in making his offense unpredictable, and with that many players all thoroughly involved in the scoring, that goal has been achieved.

Allow Oklahoma City’s core to take 3-pointers — at least initially

There’s no other way to say this. The Pacers have found themselves fortunate the Thunder’s three best players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren — are all struggling mightily from beyond the arc, combining to make a grand total of 14 triples in the series on 61 attempts.

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While the idea of letting players shoot is rarely a good one, the Pacers shouldn’t be outright fearful of letting that trio test out its range in Game 7. If the Big 3 miss early, stick with it. If they start to hit, make adjustments and force them into the mid-range area.

For the Pacers, keeping Gilgeous-Alexander out of the paint is a major boon, as that drastically limits his chances of drawing fouls on overly eager defenders biting on his shot-fakes near the rim.

Hang onto the ball at all costs

The Pacers have turned the ball over 99 times in this series, despite being one of the best teams in the league in…