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Charles Barkley Makes Prediction on Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 6:43 AM ET

Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday was another relatively close contest between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. It went back and forth, but down the stretch, Oklahoma City flexed its defensive muscles and tied the series with a 111-104 victory.

There was a sense that it was in trouble after losing Game 3 by nine points. Instead, it is essentially a new best-of-three series in which the Thunder have home-court advantage with Game 5 and Game 7 (if necessary) taking place at Paycom Center.

There seems to be a sense among plenty that the series is up for grabs at this point. But Turner Sports personality Charles Barkley feels it is a foregone conclusion that the Thunder will claim the NBA championship.

"I think they're in trouble because when you have a team on the ropes, you gotta finish them off," Barkley said after Game 4. "... Now they're (the Thunder) back to their original starting lineup, which will be better next game. ... We're back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. ... We can dominate them on the boards like we did.

"... I think this series is a wrap."

Charles Barkley: "I think this series is a wrap." ️ #NBA #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/V6ItO6R3Yc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 14, 2025

On Friday, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander validated why he was named the league MVP for this season. He scored 35 points, with 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter, and his team's defense held the fast-breaking Pacers to just 44 points in the second half.

Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers, who has come up with lots of heroics throughout the playoffs, had 18 points and five turnovers.

One key, as Barkley alluded to, in this game was rebounding. The Thunder were plus-10 on the boards, allowing them to score 23 second-chance points, and they also made nine more free throws.

They got plenty of help, especially from Jalen Williams, who had 27 points, and super sub Alex Caruso, who scored 20 points on just nine shot attempts.

Game 5 will be back in Oklahoma City on Monday, and it could very well determine this season's world champions.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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