It has been a magical, unexpected run for the Indiana Pacers as they continue to defy the odds every step of the way. Still, they walked into the NBA Finals as massive underdogs. Even with a 2-1 lead, the consensus was on the Oklahoma City Thunder to pull out a win.
Through the first 44 minutes of Game 4, it looked like those assumptions were sorely mistaken. Then, the final four minutes happened, and the Thunder are now going back home with the series tied 2-2. With a prime opportunity blown, NBA legend Charles Barkley was brutal in his assessment of the game for Indiana.
What Did Charles Barkley Say About the Pacers?
Going into the fourth quarter, the Pacers had a 10-point lead. However, a furious comeback pulled the game to a tie at 97. From there, it was all Thunder, as they pulled away to win 111-104.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was spectacular, pouring in 15 points in the last 4:38 of the game, effectively saving his team’s season. That 16-7 stretch to end the game, however, was made worse because of the execution on Indiana’s end.
The most miraculous team this postseason, with three seven-point comebacks in the final minute of the game, the Pacers had proven their clutch mettle time and again. But in Game 4, that clutchness didn’t come to fruition.
After the game, the crew was breaking down the game, where Barkley gave SGA his props. “They gave it away. I thought you saw the difference between an All-Star, guys that are really good players, and a superstar. Shai bought this thing home.”
Chuck and @realgranthill33 didn’t like Indiana’s late game execution:
“The Pacers blew this game.” 😬 pic.twitter.com/sJLfkoF0QF
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 14, 2025
However, his bigger talking point was the criticism of Indiana, especially their execution on the offensive end, where they didn’t score from 2:58 left in the game, all the way to Benedict Mathurin hitting one of two free throws at the 19.1-second mark.
“It was so frustrating to me,” he concluded. “We can say all we want to about Oklahoma City, the Pacers blew this game.” For them, no player scored over 20 points, with the starting trio of Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Myles Turner combining for 30 points.
By contrast, the Thunder had the game’s three top scorers in Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Alex Caruso with 35, 27, and 20, respectively. Now, as the game goes back to Oklahoma, it is once again the Thunder who have home-court advantage.
In what is essentially a best-of-three now, the hill for Indiana to climb got even steeper.
