Game 4 of the NBA Finals was already tense — Pacers up 2-1, Thunder fighting to stay alive. But midway through the second quarter, the heat finally boiled over. A hard foul on a fast break, that involved Alex Caruso, sparked a fiery confrontation that stopped the game cold. The refs responded with double penalties, and just like that, the Finals weren’t just physical — they were personal.

Here’s how it all went down: with the Thunder up 51-48 and about five minutes left in the second quarter, the Thunder’s defensive ace, Alex Caruso, did what he does best. He poked the ball loose from Tyrese Haliburton and was off to the races, looking for an easy transition layup. But the Pacers’ Obi Toppin, hustling back, wasn’t about to give up a free bucket. Toppin delivered a hard foul to stop the play, sending Caruso to the floor.

And that’s when things got chaotic. Immediately, OKC’s big man, Isaiah Hartenstein, was not having it. He sprinted straight into Toppin’s face, jawing and pointing, and others physically restrained these two giants. This was the first real “hold-me-back, I’m about to throw hands” moment of these Finals. As reporter Clemente Almanza tweeted in real-time, “Caruso steals the ball from Haliburton and then Toppin commits a hard foul in transition to stop a layup. Hartenstein didn’t like it and confronted him over it.” No cap, you could feel the energy shift.

The officials immediately went to the monitor to review the play for a possible flagrant foul. And for Alex Caruso, this was feeling like déjà vu. This was the second straight game he’d been completely wiped out on a fast break. He took a similar brutal foul from Aaron Nesmith at the end of Game 3, a play he totally thought should’ve been a flagrant, but nope, it wasn’t. After that game, Caruso even expressed his confusion about the officiating standard: “I don’t know what the rules are there, because it was a pretty aggressive foul,” he said. “I think regular season it is, maybe postseason things change a little bit.”

This time around though, the refs actually saw it. After checking the replay, they hit Obi Toppin with a Flagrant 1 foul. That meant two free throws for Caruso and the ball back for the Thunder. Hartenstein also got a technical for getting all up in the drama. While the officials were sorting it all out, the Indiana crowd, showing love for their guy, started chanting “O-bi! O-bi!”, and this just added another layer of drama to the whole scene.

Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t just get in Obi Toppin’s face because some random player on his team got fouled. It was because it was Alex Caruso who went down. And for this Thunder squad, that’s like, next-level important. He’s the guy who, as The Ringer so perfectly put it, is “the answer to every question.”

When you mess with the GOAT, you have to answer to the herd

Alex Caruso is actually a basketball genius. Earlier in these playoffs, he literally tricked Nikola Jokic—arguably the smartest player in the league—into throwing the ball right into his hands. This is the guy who, even though he’s shorter and lighter, was OKC’s best bet to guard Jokic in a crazy Game 7. His own teammates kind of talk about him like he’s a defensive wizard. “He knows where all 10 guys are supposed to be,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He plays defense off of feel and awareness, almost like a lot of guys play offense. It’s pretty special to see.”

It’s actually wild to see a player who went undrafted, grinded in the G-League (even playing for a younger Mark Daigneault at the time), and fought his way into the NBA. But his value isn’t just about stats, he’s the ultimate veteran leader in a super young locker room, basically the team’s “big brother.” After Game 2, when some reporter hinted at Caruso’s age (yeah, he’s 31, the oldest on the team), Chet Holmgren immediately jumped to his defense, all fired up. “Don’t disrespect our GOAT like that, man,” Chet said, his voice thick with passion. “He’s one of those guys who… is going to bring it every single night. Whether he’s 22 or 30, it doesn’t matter… as a collective, we really feed off of that.” Mic drop.

Jalen Williams quickly echoed that respect, though, of course, with a playful jab, saying he “fries AC” in practice, before immediately changing his tune: “No, but he’s a really good defender. Great hands, good feet, physical, smart.” Caruso, cool as ever, just laughed it off: “Dub’s just a very confident individual… in the game is kind of where it matters now.” That comfortable, protective, brotherly vibe? It’s the core of this team’s whole identity. Even LeBron James called him, “one of my favorite teammates of all time.”

So when Toppin sent Alex Caruso to the floor, it wasn’t just a hard foul to stop a fast break. Indeed, it was a direct shot at the Thunder’s defensive heart and soul. It was about protecting the guy who makes their entire championship-level defense work. It was a clear message: you can play physical, but you don’t mess with their GOAT.