'Throw all the punches': The blueprint that helped the Thunder even the NBA Finals

The Thunder dominated the Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, winning 123-107 and tying the series, thanks to the same formula for success that helped Indiana in Game 1.

OKLAHOMA CITY — To reach the NBA Finals and stunningly steal its opening game, the Indiana Pacers against all odds repeatedly shot better, and defended harder, in clutch situations. It was a perfect storm.

They could replicate none of it Sunday in Game 2, however, because Oklahoma City has evened the series at one game apiece by unleashing what amounted to a perfect swarm.

And it could be the Thunder's blueprint to a championship.

"No one-man show," Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, "can win an NBA championship."

Its 123-107 win inside Paycom Center, in which it led by as many as 23 points in the first half and smothered every nascent Indiana comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, wasn't just the product of receiving a more efficient game from Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's most valuable player. After scoring 38 points but needing 30 shots to do it in Game 1, he finished with 34 points on 21 attempts Sunday.