Obi Toppin dunks
Obi Toppin (1) finishes a play at the rim during the Pacers’ Eastern Conference Finals game against the New York Knicks. Photo by Clay Maxfield
FOLLOWING THE Indiana Pacers’ game six win over the New York Knicks on Saturday, a 125-108 final, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle commented on the DNA of a team that is making its first trip to the NBA Finals since 2000.
“We’re a team that is an ecosystem,” Carlisle says. “We’re very dependent on the collective ingredients for the whole team to function at its best. When we’re without guys that don’t appear to be stars, but they’re important in support roles for the stars, then you struggle.”
While his response indicated when he felt Indiana had the makings for a historic season, it’s a microcosm of what the Pacers have been all about for the last three years.
When rostered together, a team comprised of pieces and parts can have any one of its players in the rotation go for double figures in scoring on any given night. Meanwhile, others are guarding the opposition’s best player 94 feet throughout the game and doing all the things that don’t show up on the box scores.
As they head into a seven-game series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, they’ll need all of those components firing on all cylinders if they want to hoist the franchise’s first-ever Larry O’Brien Trophy.
**What The Thunder Does Well**A list of all the things that OKC doesn’t do well would be a short one. The innumerable areas on the floor in which they suffocate opposing teams on defense, lean on the league’s Most Valuable Player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and provide mismatches on both ends of the court is a start to an otherwise lengthy resume.
While potent on offense, defense has been their calling card all season. They took away the overall seed in the NBA Playoffs behind a defensive rating that sits best in the league with 104.7 points per 100 possessions.
The combination of length and size have posed problems for teams all postseason and will give them headaches during the finals as Pacers’ point guard Tyrese Haliburton looks to get his offense kickstarted against one of the best defensive players in the league in Lu Dort.
Furthermore, Indiana will match up against a frontline made of two 7-footers in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, the latter of which will be especially difficult to keep off of the offensive glass.
And while highlighted last, the importance of SGA’s ability on the offensive side of the floor couldn’t be more tantamount to their success this season while he leads the team in scoring with 29.8 points per game in the playoffs with 47 percent shooting from the floor.
His ability to extend their floor with his jumper combined with ease at the rim and knockdown efficiency in the midrange will give primary Pacers’ defender Andrew Nembhard all he can handle in this series.
Tyrese Haliburton shoots a lay up
Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket during an Eastern Conference Finals matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Photo by Clay Maxfield
**Where The Pacers Stand**The Indiana Pacers, a team that plays with pace and has made every team pay for it during the playoffs, plans to continue riding the wave of success in this year’s finals.
In transition, Indiana counts on running off made baskets, missed shots, and the opposing team’s turnovers. Throughout the postseason, they currently sit at third in terms of percentage of possessions, nearly 20 percent, occurring on a fast break while ranking first overall in points per possession when in transition with 1.32. Furthermore, they’ve outscored their opponents by 8.5 PPG throughout the playoffs this season.
But when their offense breaks down in the half-court, Pascal Siakam may be the most important cog in a series where all eyes will be focused on slowing down Haliburton.
For Myles Turner, a 10-year veteran with Indiana, the acquisition of Siakam last season was the missing piece they needed.
“You brought in a champion,” Turner says. “You brought in someone that’s been there before. He had to work his way up. … Someone who’s seen the highs and lows. To have that championship experience. Me, myself, last year was my first year coming out of the first round so, there’s only so much I can tell guys. When you have someone who’s been in those trenches, felt what it’s felt like. It’s so underrated the emotions you feel this time of the year.”
Siakam, a NBA Champion in 2009, was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 24.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and shooting 52.3 percent in the Pacers’ series against the New York Knicks.
As the finals kick off tonight, the Pacers will have their work cut out for them. For the moment, though, Haliburton and Co. are set on continuing a run that has shifted the trajectory of the franchise.
“I think this is a really special time for our organization and our fans. There’s a lot of fans who have never seen this kind of success from this organization. … It’s really special what we’re doing and we’re just trying to keep this a special place where people want to come, watch, and be a part of,” Haliburton says.