If Cinderella stories could be the theme for this NBA Finals series, for Indiana, it would be quite apt. Coming into the final game of the season, reaching Game-7 of the series through historic plays all as a fourth-seeded team, the Pacers, if they win tomorrow, could truly be the game changers. But for HC Rick Carlisle, it’s not new. In fact, giving underdog teams their best hopes is something the “very gutsy,” as the then guard Jason Terry had said, HC has done with the 2010 Dallas Mavericks, bringing them their only NBA title to this date. And as he enters the building that gave his team a loss last time, he would want to bring that same energy out, because there are just too many parallels at play here.

Not only was Dallas an underdog in the 2011 NBA Finals series, but they also had their best players injured in the season. The chemistry got lost at times. And Carlisle wouldn’t bend. But as they stood against a LeBron James-led Miami Heat, the ever so rigid HC saw his team, heard his team, and “when we need a spark, he’s willing to make the adjustment and make a change,” Terry said after their win. This time around, the story reads quite similar.

Odds are stacked against the Pacers heading into Game 7. Upon their last trip to OKC, they got absolutely decimated by the home team, losing by eleven points. Their superstar Tyrese Haliburton looked like a shell of himself, scoring only 4 points on zero made field goals, fighting through right calf strain. He might need to shuffle the lineup again. But what’s sure is that they will need a genius strategy to take the Thunder by surprise this Sunday. Turns out, Warriors veteran Draymond Green might have made Rick Carlisle’s job easier by handing him a blueprint to take down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co.

During The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, the Golden State star highlighted how the Pacers can win in OKC. “I think Rick Carlisle has not showed everything. I think the Pacers win this game by Rick Carlisle coming out out-coaching Mark Daigneault. This is the biggest game in Mark Daigneault’s coaching career. This is his first time playing in the game of this magnitude. Rick Carlisle coached a team to a championship.

“I think that’s their upper hand… is Rick been there. And I think Rick’s got something in his back pocket. And if I’m Rick, here’s my gameplan. OKC at times struggle to score. Think we all can agree on that. Every time J Dub (Jalen Williams) come off a pick and roll, I’m all out blitzing him… He also not accustomed to getting blitzed. You can throw something at him in Game 7 that they don’t really have much time to adjust to… He gotta adjust to that in the biggest game of his life with all the money on the line.

“I’m guarding Shai one-on-one with Andrew Nembhard and I’m telling Nembhard, don’t play in front of him. Play on the side. If you play on the side of him, he can’t get that step-back to create all the separation. If you sit in front of him, he going to drive you down. He gonna step-back and he gonna create this much space and he shooting wide open. So, we not helping. We not in the gaps on Shai either. You are just guarding him one-on-one. He give you 50, he give you 40, you guard him one-on-one, fine. Reason being:

‘I’m standing home on Lug (Luguentz) Dort; I’m standing home on Aaron Wiggins; I’m staying home on Isaiah Joe; I’m staying home on Alex Caruso. Because I think these guys, if they start hitting threes; they’re home so they feeling good. J getting his 35 anyway. And if you got J Dub getting off, it’s too much.”

Yes, Draymond wants the Pacers to shut down OKC’s second scoring option, Jalen Williams. He has been lights out this entire series, even scoring a playoff career high 40 points in Game 5. With Shai demanding the majority of the attention, J Dub often gets easy lanes to the basket. Draymond believes the Pacers should double-team him every time and cut out his scoring option.

Shai, being Shai, will get his 30+ points anyway, but Green wants to take away his step-back option by guarding him from the side. Moreover, double-teaming the MVP could get other OKC players going. The formula is simple: let Shai get his numbers but shut down his teammates. And for the Pacers’ offense, Green suggested Carlisle to push the ball to Pascal Siakam on every fastbreak because he is their only player who can attract double teams. That way, he can kick it out to open teammates and create easy shots for them.

“Their offense will flow from there,” he added. This is a huge assist from the four-time champ, and we might see some of this strategy being used by Carlisle this Sunday. Meanwhile, Draymond also had a stern warning for the OKC squad.

Draymond Green claims all the pressure is on OKC for Game 7 amid looming financial dilemma

Well, Thunder will be the clear favorites to win this Sunday. They have been the best team in the league all year, and the home court advantage is a massive upside. However, Draymond believes the same factors put them under immense pressure, especially after their embarrassing Game 6 loss.

“If I’m the Pacers, I’m coming out like ‘Yo, I know they a little shaken by what just happened. We gotta come out fire.’ All the pressure in this game is on OKC. You at home, you have had the best record all year, and it all comes down to one game. What can you do to win this one game?”

If the Pacers lose, no one will bat an eye because they have already exceeded expectations. Thunder, on the other hand, was predicted to reach this stage long before the season began. If that wasn’t enough, Draymond added more pressure by sending them a stern warning, “If OKC don’t win this championship Sunday, they may never win the championship.” Reason?

Once a team loses so deep in the playoffs, there are bound to be some roster tweaks over the summer, trying to find that missing piece. But those tweaks can often backfire: “Those tweaks could put you further away than where you were.” An even bigger issue is that OKC can only afford to have such a deep roster because their two stars, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, are on their rookie contracts, which allows the team to invest in other key players.

However, that might not be the case next season as both players are up for a potential max extension. So, Draymond fears, “You lose the likes of the Lu Dorts, you lose the likes of the Alex Carusos.” Once J Dub and Chet’s salaries increase, Thunder might not be able to afford to keep players like Dort, Hartenstein, and Caruso, who have been pivotal in their success this season. Their only shot at keeping this roster intact is if they win Sunday’s game.

Of course, no one understands this scenario better than Draymond because he faced the same situation in Golden State. Due to Steph’s low salary along with Draymond and Klay’s rookie contracts, the Warriors were able to add players like Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut, who helped them win the 2015 title. “We won in that window, which then extended it.”

So, Sunday’s outcome could determine the fate of the OKC franchise for the foreseeable future. That’s a lot of pressure on just one game. Do you think SGA and Co. can overcome it, or will Rick Carlisle lead another underdog team to a championship?