The battle is imminent, the Thunder and Pacers make history in Game 5 of the NBA Finals

Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals is about to kick off between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.

The 2025 NBA Finals are currently tied 2-2, and the Thunder will return to Oklahoma City to play Game 5 of the Finals with the Indiana Pacers. Although the Pacers had a chance to lead 3-1 in the series, Shea Gilgers-Alexander led his Thunder to win in Game 4, while Tyres Halliburton's side struggled to score in the final moments.

There is only one day left before Game 5, and there is a lot to pay attention to about the NBA history of the fifth game.

Thunders and Pacers challenged NBA history in Game 5, and the Pacers took the lead in this series, reversing away in the last second, shocking the world. The Pacers' first and only lead in the first game was in the final 0.3 seconds when Tyres Halliburton made a winning mid-range jump shot from the right.

enters the playoffs and the team that wins the first game of the NBA Finals has a 70.5% chance of winning the series (55 wins and 23 losses). In addition, the team that won the first game of the NBA Finals away game has a 44.4% chance of winning the series (8 wins and 10 losses).

Teams that win the first game of the NBA Finals often end up winning the series, with a total record of 28 wins and 13 losses since 1984. Of the last 11 teams that have won the first game of the NBA Finals, eight ended up winning the series.

The Thunder took the lead 123-107 in Game 2, leading nearly 46 minutes in the 48-minute game. But with the home advantage, the Pacers won the third game at home and finally led by 2-1.

According to NBA history, the team that won the third game in the 1-1 NBA Finals has an 80.5% chance of winning the series (33 wins and 8 losses). In addition, the probability of a team that led 2-1 in the NBA Finals finally winning the series is 79.4% (50 wins and 13 losses).

Not surprisingly, Shea Gilgers-Alexander and the Thunder showed their much-needed rebound performance in Game 4, tied the series 2-2 and regained the home advantage. Gilgers Alexander scored all 15 points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter, becoming the first player to do this in the NBA Finals since 1971.

All this sets the stage for a possible decisive fifth game in Oklahoma City.

According to NBA history, the team that won the fifth game in the finals 2-2 loss game has a high probability of winning the series as much as 74.2% (23-8 loss). In addition, in the finals, the probability of winning the series is as high as 81.6% (40 wins and 9 losses).

This makes Game 5 of the Finals crucial. The Pacers' away win this season's playoffs seems like a breeze, with seven of their 14 playoff wins away.

Meanwhile, the Thunder hopes that their dominant performance this season will end with the championship. With home advantage and fanatical fans of the two teams, this finals are likely to play seven games.

If this series really plays seven games, it will be the 20th NBA Finals' seventh game. In the seventh game of the first 19 NBA Finals, the home team's overall record was 15 wins and 4 losses. The fifth game will be held at 8:30 pm ET on Monday at the Paycom Center and will be aired by ABC TV.