The Pacers, playing in Oklahoma City against the season’s most dominant team, were down by 15 points with 9:42 left. Then they matched the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a Finals game since Dallas came from 15 down to beat Miami on June 2, 2011.
The coach of those Mavericks: Rick Carlisle. The coach of these Pacers: Rick Carlisle.
And once again, Indiana found a way at the end in these playoffs.
- On April 29, they trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in overtime and won 119-118.
- On May 6, the Pacers trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left and won 120-119.
- On May 21, they trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation and won 138-135 in overtime.
Now, this.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points, while Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each had 14.
In the regular season, Toppin played just under 20 minutes per game for the Pacers, coming off the bench to average 10 points and 4 rebounds in his fifth NBA season.
In the playoffs, he has been the team’s seventh-leading scorer, as the Pacers settled on a clear top five.
But Thursday night, in the first NBA Finals appearance of his career, Toppin scored 17 points, second-highest on the Pacers, and he was on the court in the final minutes, with the game on the line. He added five rebounds and two assists.
Toppin became the first former Flyer to play in a NBA Finals game since Johnny Davis, who got the opportunity as a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 38 points for Oklahoma City, which was 36-1 at home with 15-point leads this season.
Game 2 is at Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
Oklahoma City led throughout the game, in part because they forced an incredible 18 turnovers from the Pacers in the first half.
OKC led by 15 points early in the fourth quarter when Carlisle called time and subbed out all five players, seeking a spark. It worked. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 15-4 over the next 3:26 – getting within 98-94 on a 3 by Turner with 6:16 left.
They never stopped, all the way to the end.