THE Indiana Pacers were labeled the “48-minute team” for so long. Why? Because they never give up. They play four quarters of 12 minutes each without let-up. No surrender. They follow to the letter the saying that in sports, it’s not over until it’s over.
Their moniker shoved them to the ongoing best-of-seven NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) that is tied at 2-2.
Tyrese Haliburton typifies Indiana’s never-say-die mantra. He owns five of six games won by the Pacers on his quintuple improbable shots with time expiring. That’s why he’s been called “The Miracle Man.”
It happens in all spheres of sports.
In golf, the war is not over until the last putt is dropped.
In volleyball, the contest is not over until the last spike is put away.
In boxing, the beak-busting is not over until the final bell is banged.
In gymnastics, the tumbling is not over until the last somersault is done.
In weightlifting, the heave is not over until the last snatch is completed.
And, in basketball, the game is not over until the last buzzer is sounded.
But what happened to Indiana in Game 4 of its ongoing title clash versus OKC?
Shockingly, it abandoned its signature dance: it went missing in the game’s fourth and final quarter. Just like that.
After staying in the fight for three quarters with prodigious productions of 20-plus points in each frame, Indiana could only come up with 17 points against OKC’s 34 in the final frame.
You don’t win with a weak finish, with puny points in the mad dash to the line. You’ll be eaten alive.
That’s what Shai SGA Gilgeous-Alexander did when he powered OKC to a 111-104 Game 4 victory on June 14 in Indianapolis.
With Indiana ahead, 103-99, 3:20 left, SGA took matters into his own hands as the reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) unloaded eight points in the next three minutes, while OKC blanked Indiana in the same stretch.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle rued the ending.
“He (SGA) is a great player. That’s why he’s the MVP,” he said. “But we’re up seven points at home. You have to dig in, and we are unable to do it tonight.”
That’s because “The Miracle Man” had a day-off.
Today’s Game 5 in OKC will more or less put the winner’s right foot inside the champagne room.
Keep an eye on the “48-minute team.”