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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JUNE 11: T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers drives to the basket around … More Obi Toppin #1 and Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in Game Three of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 11, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Getty Images INDIANAPOLIS – About 50 minutes before tipoff, Bennedict Mathurin settles into his locker, basketball in hand. He rhythmically dribbles between his legs on the carpeted floor as a Pacers assistant coach approaches with a laptop loaded with NBA film. Together, they pore over the footage and study the tape, dialing in on the smallest details. It’s a ritual that has become routine for Mathurin, and it’s one that used to happen courtside until the stadium noise became too distracting. Now, the locker room serves as Mathurin’s study ground. It’s quieter and more focused. That same process played out Wednesday night, just before the most important game of Mathurin’s young career – Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals. So that’s where he sat before a crucial battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series was tied at 1-1, and Indiana, hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time in a quarter century, was preparing for one of the biggest games in franchise history. They needed to bounce back after a crummy Game 2, and doing so would require focusing on the details. Less than an hour before tipoff, Mathurin was doing exactly that. About an hour-and-a-half later, Mathurin entered Game 3 for the first time. The Pacers were down eight at the time. The third-year pro scored 34 seconds after checking in, a sign of things to come, then again with 10:28 on the clock in the second quarter.…

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Filed under: News - @ June 13, 2025 1:29 pm