Caitlin Clark isn't wavering in her confidence of the Indiana Pacers' chances to bring home the NBA title, even after the team's loss in Game 4 at home Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder to even the series at two games apiece.
The Indiana Fever superstar is slated to return to the lineup after a three-week, five-game absence due to a left quad strain. A night ahead of her return against the New York Liberty in a Saturday matinee at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, she couldn't miss Friday's Game 4 in the same arena before the NBA Finals went back to Oklahoma—although she did leave early to prepare and get some rest ahead of her own game.
The Pacers suffered a 111-104 loss as their offense stagnated in the fourth quarter while NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored in bunches for the Thunder. Although Indiana missed what felt like a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead, Clark still thinks they have a good chance to pull out the series.
"It was a great game—fun game for the Pacers. I still feel very confident in their ability to win it all," Clark said ahead of her return to the court Saturday. "That's what makes this Finals so fun. When teams go and steal one on the road, we stole one there and they stole one here, so now we got to go and steal one there essentially to win it all, which I think, obviously, we've already proven we're capable of and we're going to do just that."
Caitlin Clark on the Pacers' Game 4 loss: "It was a great game, fun game for the Pacers. And I feel still very confident in their ability to win it all."
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) June 14, 2025
As for today: "Saturday afternoon, during summer, nothing gets better than that. So I expect a really great crowd today." pic.twitter.com/vkeCWVHUDP
Clark is averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists and six rebounds per game in four appearances for the Fever this season before the quad injury. The Fever went 2-3 over her absence.
The NBA Finals' 2-2 tie will be broken Monday in Oklahoma City when the Thunder and Pacers will meet for Game 5. Like Clark mentioned, the Pacers need to win at least one more game on the road to win the series and the franchise's first NBA title. With their postseason heroics, you can never count the cardiac Pacers out—Clark sure isn't.
More NBA Finals on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Gives Her Thoughts on Pacers' Ability to Win Title After Game 4 Loss.
