OKLAHOMA CITY — About an hour after the final buzzer sounded in the Pacers’ 111–110 Game 1 win in the NBA Finals , Thunder players made the winding walk to the postgame interview room to try to explain what happened. Answers didn’t come easy. “Honestly,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, “I’m not too sure.” Isaiah Hartenstein pointed the finger inward. “It sounds weird,” Hartenstein said, “it wasn’t like they won the game, but I feel like we lost the game.” Jalen Williams offered a blunt assessment: “I mean, it sucks. I don’t know.”

When Oklahoma City reviews the film of Game 1, it will find a lot to like. There were the 25 forced turnovers. The Thunder crushed Indiana in points in the paint (46–34) and outscored the Pacers in transition. They held double-digit leads for most of the game. A

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