Vets crucial as Pacers, Thunder eye upper hand in Game 5

Moments like these are why the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Alex Caruso in the offseason.

Heading into Monday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals at home against the Indiana Pacers, with the best-of-seven series tied 2-2, Caruso is as big of a reason as any why the Thunder are two wins from the franchise’s first title since moving to Oklahoma City.

Caruso played in just 54 games during the regular season, starting just three, and played 30 or more minutes just once.

But in the postseason, particularly this series, the veteran guard’s presence has expanded.

Caruso has averaged 14.8 points, 2.5 steals and 29.5 minutes per game in the series and while he’s not in the starting lineup, he’s on the floor during critical situations late in close games.

“He’s a gamer,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Caruso. “You plug him in anywhere, any lineup, feels like any group, he makes a difference. Makes everyone around him better. He is always talking. He always knows where we’re supposed to be, where the other team is supposed to be.

“He has instincts that are special. I don’t think you can teach things like that. He just knows where the ball is going, where a rebound is bouncing to, how to get a deflection, timely steals. He just has an amazing feel for the game and is an insane competitor.”

After not scoring more than 19 points during the regular season, Caruso has scored 20 points thrice in the playoffs, including twice in the Finals.

He had 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting in Oklahoma City’s 111-104 victory in Game 4 in Indianapolis.

Caruso said his secret has been approaching every moment the same.

“I want to win,” Caruso said. “I don’t care if it’s (a) pickup (game) in September before training camp. I don’t care if it’s Game 45, 50, before All-Star break. If it’s the Finals and you’re down 2-1, I want to win. That’s what I’m focused on.”

Caruso is the only player on the Thunder with Finals experience before this season, having been a part of the Lakers’ 2020 title.

While their roles are significantly different, Pascal Siakam has added a similar level of experience for the Pacers, having been a part of Toronto’s 2019 title.

Siakam said that experience has helped him this time around.

“On the floor, I was one of the guys that would go and get things to happen for us, but off the court, I was year three,” Siakam said. “We had so many veterans on our team that had been through way more than I could ever imagine as a player. … I think this time around, just having been one of those guys that has been there or one of the few guys that has been there, and I’m year nine or 10 or whatever, it’s like I have way more to say and I can impact not only by saying things but also on the floor.”

While the Thunder are looking to keep building momentum after outscoring Indiana 12-1 in the final three minutes of Game 4, the Pacers are looking to put away the disappointing loss after letting a chance to take firm command of the series slip away.

“The biggest thing is you can’t let one spiral into two,” Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton said. “You can’t take the disappointment of that game and let it be a snowball effect. You have to be ready to go for Game 5 here, again in a hostile environment. We are both two games away. Anything can happen here. So you have to move on as quickly as you can.”

The Thunder are in this position for the second time in the postseason, having beaten Denver in seven games in the second round after being tied 2-2 after four games.

“Two wins and you get the job done,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s what I felt like I was focused on in the Denver series and we were able to do so, and same thing for this series.”

The Pacers haven’t been in this position in this postseason, having led all three of their previous series 3-1 after four games.

–Field Level Media