Game 1 of the conference semis ≠ Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The young Thunder aren't done growing until they win a title. And as alluring as the parallels are, Game 1's meltdown isn't a sign that some fatal bug in the Thunder machine didn't get patched after the Denver series (when OKC had a Game 1 meltdown in dissimilar fashion). OKC needs to win two of their next three games to retake control of the series, and beating the feel-good Pacers is much different than beating the old-guard Nuggets.
u26a1The Big Other Two
Through most of the postseason, Oklahoma City's strength-in-numbers advantages were enough to carry them without consistently great performances from Shai's co-stars.