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Charles Barkley slams the OKC Thunder for making ‘stupid’ mistake not seen in almost 20 years against the Pacers

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 1:15 PM ET

Charles Barkley believes a key change in the NBA Finals almost cost the OKC Thunder the NBA championship.

While fans were not initially enthused with the teams involved in the NBA Finals, it’s hard to argue that we didn’t get some brilliant basketball from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.

Even though ratings for the NBA Finals were down by historic margins, the incredible level of competition between the two sides made for excellent viewing for those who did tune in.

In the end, despite some hurdles, the OKC Thunder vanquished the Pacers in seven games to win a franchise-first NBA championship.

But Charles Barkley believes the Thunder were close to making a mistake that could have cost them the title, a mistake fans hadn’t seen since the words ‘We Believe’ echoed through the streets of Oakland.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Charles Barkley slams Mark Daigneault for changing OKC Thunder lineup during NBA Finals

Charles Barkley was a guest on Bill Simmons’ podcast recently, where he discussed the 2025 NBA Finals, and why he disagreed with Mark Daigneault changing the OKC Thunder’s lineup.

He believes that disrupting a starting lineup in a playoff series to adjust to another team never works out. Barkley pointed to Avery Johnson and the 2007 Dallas Mavericks, who tinkered with their lineup to combat the undersized Golden State Warriors.

This decision from Nelson led the Mavericks to be eliminated in the first round despite them being the #1 seed and the Warriors being the #8 seed.

“The only time I thought they were going to lose was when [Mark Daigneault] switched up the starting lineup. I was like, ‘What the hell is he doing?’

“The only other person I saw do something that stupid was Avery Johnson. We were sitting in the studio that night, like, ‘What just happened right here?’

“Avery Johnson changed up his starting lineup to go against Don Nelson’s small ball. Why would you do that? You’re the number one seed, and you change up.

“When [Daigneault] did that this year, I was like, ‘What the hell!’ Then they ended up losing Game 1. They blew them out in Game 2, but it didn’t matter because they got the split. Then [the Pacers] won Game 3, and he finally went back to his enormous lineup.

“Yo man, you don’t change a thing when you’ve got the best team. You’ve been the best team in the NBA all season. Don’t do that again. You almost cost your team the championship.”

Indiana Pacers were well-prepared for OKC Thunder challenge

While Charles Barkley makes a strong argument about the OKC Thunder changing their lineup, in reality, Mark Daigneault had very little say in the matter.

The Indiana Pacers were well prepared for the Thunder and effectively forced the Thunder into making these changes to stay competitive.

If anything, the series did come down to a lineup change, but not the one Barkley is referencing. Rick Carlisle claimed replacing Tyrese Haliburton from the Pacers’ lineup in Game 7 cost them the title.

It’s hard to say whether the Pacers would have won Game 7 if Tyrese Haliburton hadn’t gotten injured. They had gotten off to a very strong start, but the Thunder’s defensive effectiveness was just too good in the second half.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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