Editor’s note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here . The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.

* * *

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Indiana Pacers, waiting for absolution from a bunch of TV screens in a big room in Secaucus, N.J., talked about what they’d do on offense when they got the basketball back from the Oklahoma City Thunder, whether they were down by just one point or down three.

They didn’t talk about how they planned to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s MVP, who had 38 points at the moment in his first NBA Finals game. Perhaps they didn’t have to.

Ultimately, the NBA’s Replay Center denied Indiana’s challenge that the ball either went out of bounds off Oklahoma City or that Thunder guard Cason Wallace fouled the Pacers’ Pa

See Full Page