With their back up against the wall in enemy territory on Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder even up the series at 2-2 with a 111-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers. And with the series headed back to Oklahoma City, Charles Barkley is ready to call this series in favor of the Thunder.
Friday’s game was undoubtedly a big one for the Thunder in particular when you look at the history of the NBA Finals. Only one team ever, the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, have overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the finals.
Now, the Thunder are set to play two of the next three games, should they be necessary, in Oklahoma City, giving them the clear series advantage at this point. And on the NBA TV postgame coverage after Friday’s game, Charles Barkley went as far as saying that the series is “a wrap” after Game 4.
“Yeah, I think they are in trouble,” said Barkley of the Pacers. “Because when you have a team on the ropes, you have to finish them off. You go up 3-1, you are in great shape. But now, you go back… Number one, you know Oklahoma City has a better team. Now, they are back to their original starting lineup, which will be better next game. Then they realize, ‘Man, we have got to play our bench more. We’re back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. We’re back to big-big. We’re gonna dominate them on the boards.’ They are going back to Oklahoma City. I think this series is a wrap. I thought tonight was a big deal for both teams.”
Charles Barkley: “I think this series is a wrap.” 🏀🎙️ #NBA #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/V6ItO6R3Yc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 14, 2025
The Thunder can absolutely win this series, and have been favored to do so by sportsbooks since the very start of the series. So maybe Barkley’s prediction will end up being a correct one.
But on paper, Barkley’s opinion that the series is “a wrap” certainly seems to be a bit premature when you consider how the Pacers have already shown that they can win a game in Oklahoma City. Not to mention how the Pacers have been continuously counted out by nearly every media member, only to overcome the odds time and time again.
Regardless, the pressure is now on the Pacers to answer back in this series. So Game 5 on Monday night could very well determine who ends up deciding who hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy sometime next week.
