17-point defeat, where is the Thunder G6 losing? Three major defeats were exposed, the biggest "sinner" was discovered

On the stage of the 2025 NBA Finals, every game carries the team's dream of winning and the fans' high expectations. In the battle of G6, the showdown between the Thunder and the Pacers attracted much attention. However, the Thunder lost a huge gap of 91-108, dragging the series into a suspense tiebreak battle. Behind this failure is the result of the joint action of many factors.

Failure 1: Judging from the Thunder's own performance, Alexander's aberration is one of the key factors in losing. In the whole game, he made 8 mistakes, setting a record for a single-game turnover in the finals and the playoffs. During the critical period of the game, especially in the second and third quarters, his continuous mistakes disrupted the team's offensive rhythm, allowing the Pacers to seize the opportunity to climax the counterattack. When Alexander was present, the Thunder lost 17 points. After he left the field early in the third quarter, the Thunder's morale completely collapsed and entered "trash time" early in the final quarter.

Fault 2: Thunder's outside projection is completely silent. In the whole game, the Thunder's three-point shooting percentage was only 26.7%. Moreover, among the starters, only Dort hit a three-pointer, and core players such as Alexander and Jaylen Williams felt cold on the outside. This has severely compressed the Thunder's offensive space and has to rely on inefficient mid-range jump shots, greatly reducing offensive efficiency.

Fault 3: The Thunder's substitute lineup is disastrous. In the first three quarters, the bench players scored only 6 points, while the Pacers scored as high as 31 points. Key rotation players such as Wiggins and Joe only scored 16 points in the whole game and frequently lost positions on the defensive end. In contrast, the Pacers substitute McConnell contributed 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals, and scored 20 points, becoming the key force in the game's victory or defeat.

In contrast, Pacers, the team attack of the whole nation is their magic weapon to win. In the whole game, the Pacers scored 6 points in double digits, Tot scored 20 points, Nemhard scored 17 points, McConnell scored 12 points, and Siakam scored 16 points and 13 rebounds. Although Halliburton, who played with injury, scored not high, his tandem ability activates the transfer of ball rights for the entire team. Meanwhile, the Pacers developed an effective defensive strategy against Alexander, forcing him to make mistakes by double-teaming and limiting the Thunder's overall offense.

In this game, Alexander undoubtedly became the biggest sinner of the Thunder's defeat. His mistakes, misconduct from outside shooting and lack of leadership all brought heavy blows to the team at critical moments. The mistakes set a career record, the key ball handling ability declined, there was no achievements outside the three-point line, and the opportunity to chase points was missed many times. When the team's morale was low, it failed to play a leading role and led its teammates out of the predicament.

In short, the Thunder's defeat is a comprehensive collapse of tactics, execution and key players' performance. Alexander's sluggish performance became the fuse, and the lack of substitute depth, sluggish outside projection and coaching tactical rigidity further amplified the problem. The Pacers successfully continued the suspense of the series with their excellent team basketball and targeted defense. Now, the two sides will compete in the tiebreak battle. Can the Thunder adjust their state and save the defeat? Can the Pacers take advantage of the victory and achieve a reversal to win the championship? Let's wait and see.