Despite winning an NBA-best 68 games this past season, the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves in an undesirable situation. They are down 2-1 in the 2025 NBA Finals with the possibility of falling 3-1 if they drop Game 4 tonight. Three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem believes he knows the key to OKC tying this series.
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The Thunder’s outstanding depth has been one of the main reasons for their dominance. Nonetheless, it begins with their stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has consistently shown why he is deserving of the 2024-25 MVP award. The other share of the team’s burden falls on Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Through the first three games of the Finals, Williams has looked like the secondary star the Thunder need. On the other hand, Holmgren hasn’t lived up to his capabilities.
The 7-foot-1 big man has yet to find a consistent groove within this series. Haslem believes Holmgren is the X-factor for the Thunder and will be the reason whether OKC wins or loses this series.
“You can get through a series without your third guy, but you cannot win a championship without your third guy,” Haslem said on ESPN’s First Take. “The one guy who can turn this series around is Chet Holmgren.”
Haslem was a member of the Big 3 Miami Heat. He compared Holmgren’s impact to the likes of Chris Bosh. If Bosh didn’t show up, the Heat had no chance of winning a title. The same goes for the Thunder and Holmgren.
The 23-year-old is averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds on an inefficient 40% shooting from the field. Whenever Holmgren has a good game, it has a direct correlation to the team’s success.
Although the Thunder lost, Game 3 is a perfect example. Holmgren had 13 points in the first quarter. As a result, OKC had an eight-point lead and looked to be in a great position. He scored seven points the rest of the game.
The role for players such as Williams and Holmgren is to alleviate the workload of Gilgeous-Alexander. He already has enough to carry on offense, and the Pacers are making it difficult on the defensive end, too.
“Rick Carlisle is putting SGA in every action on the other end,” Haslem said. “He is going through pick-and-rolls, double pick-and-rolls. Then if he gets matched up with Pascal Siakam, he’s getting beat up in the paint.”
Joe Fortenbaugh added to Haslem’s point, saying, “Indiana has a little bit of that Muhammad Ali rope-a-dope, they’re just wearing OKC down.”
Stephen A. Smith overall shares the same sentiment as Haslem and Fortenbaugh. However, he points to another area that the Thunder need to tighten up to win Game 4.
“You can’t have a situation where you’re a top-rated defense but you’re getting exposed,” Smith said. “Do something to disrupt what makes them happy. You got an elite defense, right? Act like it.”
The Thunder have typically responded emphatically following adversity throughout the postseason. Tonight’s Game 4 at 8:30 PM ET will tell whether they follow the First Take crew’s pointers or not.
