Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault believes his team's preparations for Game 6 against the Indiana Pacers comes down to knowing how their opponents feel. 

The Thunder are one win away from lifting the NBA crown on Thursday, with the possibility of clinching the franchise's first title since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008. 

Jalen Williams' stunning career-playoff-high 40 points earned the Thunder a 120-109 victory in Game 5, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adding 31 along with 10 assists. 

For Indiana, meanwhile, they face the daunting prospect of trying to win consecutive games against the Thunder with star man Tyrese Haliburton not at full strength. 

"We're always trying to put ourselves in our opponent's shoes," Daigneault said of Oklahoma City's focus with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series in the NBA Finals. 

"Zero and zero mindset. We're not introducing any new concepts right now, we're just relying on the psychological habits we've built over time."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton, who has averaged 15 points, 7.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds through the first five games of the series, could miss Game 6. 

The 25-year-old briefly exited Tuesday's defeat to the Thunder in Game 5 after he aggravated an existing injury in his calf in the first quarter of the contest. 

Our work isn't finished pic.twitter.com/dnVYMDkPOz

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 18, 2025

And as Oklahoma City turned a 2-1 series deficit into a 3-2 advantage, Haliburton has struggled, hitting just seven of 21 shots from the field over the past two games. 

Haliburton finished with four points, seven rebounds and six assists as Indiana went down 3-2 in the series, though Daigneault is expecting the Pacers' star man to feature. 

"You don't underestimate great players. In the case that he plays, we're expecting his best punch," Daigneault said. "You don't underestimate great teams. In the event he doesn't play, we're expecting Indiana's best."

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a combined 66 points in Games 4 and 5, while Williams totalled 67 points over that span, including his 40-point total in their last match. 

"It makes me sound like a jerk," Williams said of not answering his phone the past week to keep the focus on winning a title. "A big thing for us - we've done a really good job of focusing on us."

Gilgeous-Alexander said being "on the cusp of winning is not winning, and the way I see it, winning is all that matters", but added that he's been buoyed by the closeness of the locker room. 

"Focusing on Game 6," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Focusing on just being the best version of myself for this basketball team for whatever it takes.

"However many games it is, however many possessions are needed, however many moments. Stay in the moment, and just try to stick to that script."

And though both of those players have averaged over 30 points in the last three games, Daigneault isn't yet talking specifically about the spoils at stake on Thursday. 

"We've tried to take a stack mindset to everything we've done. Even when the team was rebuilding. You can't skip steps in the process," Daigneault said.

"We want to win the game tomorrow. But the most important thing we can do is prepare today, prepare tomorrow. Play the first possession really well.

"And then the next possession. Win today. The minute you start to drift mentally into the future and into the past, it impacts your ability to stack the next thing."