I feel like we should have got this one today,” Pacers forward Obi Toppin said in a quiet locker room after Indiana’s gut punch

The result was only the second clutch game the Pacers lost this postseason, a 111-104 Thunder win that ties the series up at 2-2. What has been a highly entertaining, well-played Finals will see Game 5 Monday night in Oklahoma City. It also feels like a series that is going to go seven games.

Carlisle, the longtime NBA head coach, has received endless praise over the offseason as he's helped lead the Pacers through the Eastern Conference and now to a lead in the NBA Finals over the league's best regular season team. Barkley's only kidding, but with how the Knicks have went about their coaching search, don't put anything past them.

Jalen Williams' playmaking and ball-handling, crunch-time defense from Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren, and Alex Caruso's competitive fire all played integral roles in powering SGA's brilliance.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said his team will need to "circle the wagons" to resurrect their NBA Finals campaign after stumbling to a 111-104 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Lead

Bennedict Mathurin stood at the free-throw line with a chance to cut a four-point deficit in half and give the Pacers a chance for another comeback.