The Oklahoma City Thunder, staring a 3-1 deficit in the face and trailing by seven points at the end of the third quarter, stormed back—thanks to a huge fourth quarter performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—to win Game 4 111-104 and even the NBA Finals at two games apiece on Friday night.
But Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Charles Barkley believes the Thunder did more than just level the series. Barkley, never one to shy away from bold analysis, believes the NBA Finals is over.
“Yeah I think they [the Pacers] in trouble because when you have a team on the ropes, you gotta finish them off,” Barkley said. “You go up 3-1, you’re in great shape. But now, you know Oklahoma City—Number one, they got a better team. Now they’re back to their original starting lineup, which will be better next game.
“I think this series is a wrap.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/G1ErbxpjGE
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 14, 2025
“Then they realize—Man, we gotta play our bench more. We’re back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. We’re gonna go back big-big. We can dominate them on the boards like we did. And they’re going back to Oklahoma City. I think this series is a wrap. I thought tonight was a big deal for both teams.”
In a vacuum, yes, the Pacers letting the chance to seize a commanding 3-1 series lead seems like a squandered opportunity, especially considering that they outplayed the Thunder for roughly three quarters of the game. And the remainder of the series, which is now effectively a best-of-three, would seem to favor the Thunder, who will get to play two of the potential three remaining games—including the pivotal Game 5—at home.
But declaring the series as over while there is still the possibility for a whole lot of basketball to be played is certainly a choice, even for Barkley. And counting out the Pacers, the comeback kings of the 2024-25 postseason, is even more unwise.
Game 5 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday night.
