Heading into the NBA Finals, not many gave the Indiana Pacers a legitimate chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who ended the season with the best record in the NBA. The series isn't over yet, but the Pacers stole Game 1 in stunning fashion and overcame a major mental roadblock that bodes well for them the rest of the way: they know they can stand their ground against the best team in the league.
Oklahoma City is known for their legendary runs of offensive and defensive dominance. After all, they were not the league-leading team by accident. However, the Pacers' resilience and poise persevered, and it allowed them to pull off yet another comeback victory in these playoffs.
Indiana still has a lot of work to do, and they will need everything to go their way to secure a championship victory, but they sent a big message in Game 1, and they are continuing to make their presence felt.
The Pacers continue to shock the basketball world
The Pacers won the game, but it was far from a perfect performance from them, especially in the first half of the game. At halftime, the Pacers uncharacteristically committed 19 turnovers and played some of their sloppiest basketball all season. Even so, they were able to walk away with a victory because they kept playing the brand of basketball that got them this far in the first place.
As if it wasn't clear before, the Pacers are continuing to prove they can respond well to adversity and come back from a seemingly comfortable deficit. They have done it at least once in each of their playoff series so far, and they just did it again against one of the most dominant teams the NBA has seen in recent history.
In just one game, the Pacers may have set the tone for the rest of the series, which bodes well for them. They stole a game on the road, and they now have the advantage in the series. Winning Game 1 in this fashion should give them a ton of confidence, which is the key to success in the NBA.
Back in December, very few would have believed that the Pacers would be in the NBA Finals, let alone now being just three wins away from a victory. However, that is exactly where things stand for the team right now. It's just one game, but if this is any indication, the Larry O'Brien Trophy might make its way to Indiana by the end of the month.