SGA blasted 55+8+5! The Thunder narrowly won by 6 points in double overtime. This battle made me see three facts clearly.

The NBA regular season continues, with the defending champion Thunder going away to challenge the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder and Pacers battled to a tiebreaker in last season's finals. It wasn't until Haliburton retired due to a ruptured Achilles tendon that the Thunder defeated the Pacers to win the first NBA championship in team history. Times have changed, things have changed, Haliburton has not yet returned, Nat has switched to the Bucks, and many Thunder generals have been exempted from the game due to injuries. This revenge battle is somewhat imperfect. The Thunder started with SGA + Chet + Harten + Dort + Wiggins, and the Pacers started with Sika + Marcelin + Nesmith + Jackson + Nembhard.

At the beginning of the game, SGA and Sika were racing against each other, while the Pacers maintained a slight lead. In the second quarter, the Thunder blossomed more and took the lead in one fell swoop. Subsequently, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war, taking the lead alternately. After halftime, the Thunder led by 7 points. After changing sides and fighting again, Nembhard retired due to injury, and the Pacers used a 12-2 offensive to reverse the situation on the court. Subsequently, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war, and the suspense of the game dragged to the end. Sika hit a tying mid-range shot to drag the game into overtime. In overtime, the two teams refused to give an inch. After SGA hit a big mid-range shot, Marcelin responded with a mid-range shot, and the two sides entered the second overtime. In overtime 2, Marcelin committed 6 fouls and became a turning point in the game. Wiggins scored consecutive three-pointers to help the Thunder seize the opportunity. SGA used its iconic free throws to end the game. In the end, the Thunder defeated the Pacers 141-135.

The two teams in the finals went head-to-head with Maimang. One game lasted three and a half hours, with a total of 70 fouls and 91 free throws. Marcelin, Nesmith, and Sheppard graduated with 6 fouls, which highlighted the suffering. Throughout the game, the Thunder led by up to 7 points, and the Pacers led by up to 5 points. No one could defeat their opponents in one wave. This also shows that it was no accident that the two teams fought to the tiebreaker in last season's finals. It is worth mentioning that the Thunder defeated the Rockets in the opening game and fought their opponents to double overtime. As a result, the Thunder became the first team in NBA history to play two consecutive double overtime games in the first season, which is unprecedented. The Thunder narrowly defeated the team by 6 points in double overtime and took away the victory on the road. This game made me see three facts clearly.

First, the Thunder rely heavily on SGA, and SGA relies heavily on free throws. In this campaign, SGA played 45 minutes, making 15 of 31 shots (2 of 7 three-pointers), 23 of 26 free throws, scoring 55 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, with a plus-minus of +9. Without second-in-command Jaylen Way and third-in-command Chet in poor condition, SGA had to go all out, and his way of dominating the game was still his iconic free throws. He used rhythm to create opportunities in the ever-changing situation, and opponents could not defend them at all. According to statistics, 55 points is a new career-high score for SGA. At the same time, this is the fifth time in SGA's career that he has scored 50+ points, tying Westbrook for the first place in team history. In addition, SGA scored 90 points in the first two games of the season, ranking fifth in NBA history, second only to Chamberlain (106 points), Wilt Chamberlain (105 points), Big Eyebrow (95 points) and Jordan (91 points).

Second, Chet was beaten and disgraced. In this game, Chet was completely at a disadvantage against Sika. He made 4 of 12 shots (0 of 6 three-pointers), 7 of 8 free throws, and only scored 15 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. On the other hand, Sika made 12 of 25 shots (3 of 6 three-pointers), 5 of 12 free throws, and scored 32 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. Chet was completely at a disadvantage in physical confrontation, and he was hesitant to shoot from beyond the three-point line, and even had some self-doubt. In overtime, Chet missed rebounds, failed to beat Toppin on a jump ball, and was shot in the face by Walker. The scene was extremely embarrassing. Perhaps, Chet's ceiling is to be the third boss, and being the second boss is a bit difficult.

Thirdly, Marcelin went berserk and a big contract was in play. Marcelin is in a contract year and he longs for a big contract with an average salary of US$30 million, but he failed to do so. In this campaign, Marcelin had 6 fouls and left the game. He fought hard for 45 minutes, made 9 of 19 shots (3 of 8 three-pointers), 15 of 17 free throws, and scored 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 assist. The plus-minus value on the field was as high as +9. Especially in the fourth quarter and overtime, facing the aggressive SGA, Marcelin was ordered to respond at the last moment and hit the Answer Ball again and again. It was so burning that it really felt like seeing Oladipo at his peak. If Marcelin continues to play like this, he deserves to sign a big contract next summer. Fans and friends, what do you think of this? Come and leave me a comment to discuss.