Let’s face it—Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals should’ve been Indiana’s win. It was sitting there, like a cold beer at halftime, just waiting to be picked up and chugged. But the Pacers, in a moment that Charles Barkley himself called “frustrating,” fumbled it. And when Chuck gets heated, you know something dumb just went down. After watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander close things out like a true MVP while the Pacers decided to play hot potato with their offensive possessions, Barkley absolutely lost it on live television.

“They gave it away,” Barkley said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You saw the difference between all-star guys, really good players, and a superstar. Shai bought this thing home. They’re like, ‘Yo big fella, bring us home.’” He dropped the hammer with, “Me and Grant were going crazy,” no sugarcoating, no sidestepping. Chuck laid it out like a Shaq backdown in the post. The 111-104 win by the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t just another “gritty road win.” It was a chess move that swung momentum harder than a Zion Williamson tomahawk jam.

After experimenting with a small-ball lineup that made Chet Holmgren look like he was fighting off grown men with pool noodles, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault made a critical change—and Charles Barkley was one of the first to give him his flowers. “Let’s give the coach a lot of credit, man,” Barkley shouted. “It’s hard to admit you’re wrong… But you know what, guys, I was wrong. Let’s go back to the team we were.” That move was everything. It allowed the Thunder to reclaim control on the boards (50 rebounds to Indiana’s 49), dominate the paint, and play the kind of bully-ball that would’ve made 2004 Ben Wallace proud. Chet Holmgren, playing back in a more comfortable lineup, notched 14 points and 15 rebounds—his version of a flex.

And Shai? What more can you say? Thirty-five points on 50% shooting, including a perfect 10-for-10 at the line. Practically took over the game in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, where he scored 9 of 15—fourth-quarter points. OKC shot only 3-of-17 from deep—yes, 3-of-17, a three-point percentage that fell harder than the Lakers’ playoff hopes this year. But it didn’t matter, because OKC became the first team since the 2010 Celtics to win an NBA Finals game while hitting three or fewer threes, per Statmuse.

Pacers Blow It—And Chuck Didn’t Hold Back

Indiana had a seven-point lead going into the fourth. They had Pascal Siakam, their most reliable one-on-one scorer, on the floor. And yet… no plays were drawn up for him? Not one iso to let him cook? Barkley and Grant Hill were both audibly losing their minds during the broadcast. “Like, yo man, get the ball to Siakam! He’s your best one-on-one player. They didn’t even run a play for him.”

Instead, the Pacers opted for a democratic offense that felt more like a randomizer wheel than a championship scheme. Tyrese Haliburton dropped 18 points and 7 assists, but shot just 1-for-7 from three. Myles Turner bricked all six of his threes. Indiana somehow managed to out-assist OKC 21 to 10 and hit 11 threes to OKC’s 3, and still lost. “It was so frustrating,” Barkley added. “We can say all we want to about Oklahoma City, the Pacers blew this game.”

That’s not just opinion—that’s fact. While Shai was the obvious star, Alex Caruso deserves a whole segment on Inside the NBA dedicated to him alone. In 30 minutes off the bench, Caruso dropped 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added five steals, showing why he’s the dollar-store version of Gary Payton that actually delivers. He was everywhere—on switches, on help D, on the scoreboard.

Jalen Williams added 27, attacking the rim like it insulted his family, and Holmgren played big down low after looking like Bambi on ice the previous game. OKC’s ability to gut out a win with only 10 assists—their lowest mark this entire playoff run—was the kind of old-school, grind-it-out performance Barkley loves. “Now they’re back to their original starting lineup,” Chuck said. “They realize, man, we gotta play our bench more, we’re back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals.”

Game 5 shifts to OKC, and Barkley isn’t shy about what that means. “I think this series is a wrap,” he concluded. “Oklahoma City’s got the better team. If you have a team on the ropes, you gotta finish them off.”

With the Finals tied 2-2, Game 5 in Oklahoma City could end up being the swing game of the series. The Pacers looked shell-shocked postgame, and if head coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t figure out how to get Siakam more touches when it matters, Indiana might be heading into the offseason with regrets.

Meanwhile, OKC has found its identity again—bully-ball rebounding, MVP brilliance, and timely contributions from veterans like Caruso. The Thunder don’t need threes when they’ve got hustle, muscle, and Charles Barkley’s full approval.

In total, Charles Barkley’s four-slam commentary masterclass not only called out Indiana’s late-game meltdown but praised OKC’s gutsy adjustments and coaching humility. And he’s right—when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes full superstar and your own coach forgets who Pascal Siakam is, you’re probably not winning the title.

Charles Barkley saw it coming. The question now is—did the Pacers even see it slipping away?