What will this highly entertaining series have in store for us tonight in Oklahoma City?
An absolute thrill ride of an NBA Finals continues tonight as the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game 5. Both teams have blown late-game leads since this championship round started and, if things had shifted slightly, could have been looking to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy tonight. Instead, we’re all knotted up and no matter what happens tonight, we are guaranteed to go back to Indiana for Game 6. In our minds, though, I think we’re all starting to believe this series is going the distance.
Still, teams with a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals are 40-9 (.816 winning percentage) across history, so tonight is obviously critical towards both teams’ championship aspirations. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the story in Game 4’s win for the Thunder, scoring 15 points inside the final five minutes of the contest to lead the comeback effort for Oklahoma City. Opposing point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been quieter than what we saw against the Knicks, but has still put up solid numbers and, of course, hit the game-winner in Game 1.
The real story has been the depth of each team being on full display in these Finals, whether it’s Alex Caruso supplementing his usual stellar defense with two 20-point efforts off the bench in this series, or Bennedict Mathurin leading all scorers with 27 points in Indiana’s Game 3 win. Each night new guys have popped off making things even more compelling. Who will be the unlikely hero in tonight’s critical Game 5? Tune in and find out.
NBA Finals Game 5 Details
When: Monday, June 16, 8:30 pm ET
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Watch: ABC
Follow: @LibertyBallers