The Indiana Pacers will attempt to take a series lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, but it won’t be easy.
The Oklahoma City Thunder showed what they were capable of in Game 2, and they will be hard at work again, even though the series has shifted to Indiana’s home court.
How can the Pacers overcome the Thunder?
Speaking on “First Take,” Brian Windhorst highlighted how important it is for Tyrese Haliburton to get his shots up.
If that isn’t possible, victory may be out of reach.
“I really think that getting [Tyrese] Haliburton’s shots up is such an important aspect of what the Pacers have to do because he can’t get shots up against these guys. I’m not talking about just the last two games; I’m looking at the last two years. He’s played six games against them [and] he’s averaged 11 shots. In the playoffs, they’re 7-1 when he scores 20 points. In those games, he’s not just shooting—he averages 11 assists in those games. When he gets going offensively, it opens up their whole team,” Windhorst said.
.@WindhorstESPN believes Tyrese Haliburton's shot attempts will be the X factor in Game 3 👀
"He cannot get shots off against this team. … They have got to find a way to get him space." pic.twitter.com/zj1m3QMb0B
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 10, 2025
Windhorst suggested that Indiana’s chances of winning live or die with Haliburton’s success, but is that true?
He is definitely a key part of any success because when he is hot from the court, other teams just cannot shut him down.
But the Thunder have figured out how to limit Haliburton, and it’s paying off for them.
Of course, he had a game-winning shot at the end of Game 1, but the Thunder were in control for most of that game.
And in Game 2, they were all over Haliburton.
He put up 17 points on 7-of-13 from the floor, but the Thunder were clearly running things from beginning to end.
Haliburton knows how important his shot is, and he is likely making plans to show it off on Wednesday night.
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