The chances that the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves on the wrong side of a historic NBA Finals upset are palpable.

Game 1 was a fluke. Game 3 is replicable for the Indiana Pacers, who took a 2-1 series lead with a 116-109 victory Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

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Oklahoma City’s playoff run reminds me of the earliest navigation systems in cars. Just when I assume the Thunder are going to take the simplest route, they go on an unnecessary detour: scoring two points in overtime of Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets, losing by 42 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and then Wednesday night.

The fourth quarter involved a lot of “rerouting” for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Gilgeous-Alexander made one shot. Holmgren was bullied by Myles Turner on both sides of the ball. Williams, who otherwise had a good game, committed two turnovers.

Meanwhile, Benedict Mathurin scored eight points in a three-minute stretch for the Pacers.

In order for the Thunder to win their first title, they need at least one win on the road – starting Friday. But what happens if the GPS programmed to take the best team in the NBA to a championship parade instead takes it into a ditch?

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The Thunder are 5-0 this postseason following a loss, and the Pacers are 6-1 in their building.

Here’s what would have kept me up Thursday night if I was a Thunder fan:

1. Oklahoma City escaped in Game 4 at Denver and Game 4 at Minnesota. Williams and Holmgren combined for 18 points on 26% shooting against the Nuggets in a 92-87 win. And while they had arguably their best performances against the Timberwolves (34 points for Williams and 21 for Holmgren), the Thunder won 128-126 and allowed 41 points in the fourth quarter.

2. The Pacers are one of the best clutch-shooting teams in NBA playoff history. Tyrese Haliburton alone is 13 of 15 on game-tying or go-ahead shots in the final minute. The Thunder need a decisive victory in Game 4 of this series.

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3. Indiana can match Oklahoma City’s depth and can wear the Thunder out over 48 minutes.

4. The Pacers lost the turnover battle 26-7 in Game 1. They closed the gap in Game 2, losing 15-14. They won it in Game 3, 14-19.

5. Since Isaiah Hartenstein was moved to the bench, he has averaged 5.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

6. Holmgren is shooting 1 of 10 from 3 this series.

This could be all moot if Halliburton’s Game 1 winning shot bounces off the front rim or if the Thunder blow the Pacers out in Game 4. And, to be clear, the Thunder have been the better team for at least 75% of this series. That won’t matter after Friday night, though. OKC can’t afford to go down 3-1, no matter how it happens.

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If I’m a Thunder player, coach, executive or fan and a four-seeded Pacers team ends what would have been an all-time great singular season, I might never recover from hearing the synthesized voice, “Rerouting to 2026.”

Marcus Trevino is a sports reporter for The News Press. He can be contacted at mtrevino@stwnewspressss.com.