The OKC Thunder proved to be the best defensive club in the entire league during the 2024-25 season.
With guys like Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort earning All-Defensive Team selections and a slew of other players ranking in the upper echelon in individual defensive rating this year, it goes without saying that even the elite offensive punch of the Pacers is bound to endure serious hardships during their upcoming NBA Finals showdown.
Leading into Game 1, Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton is already openly admitting to be dreading the idea of seeing a particular head-to-head matchup on the hardwood, for it's one that has given him serious trouble throughout his previous few campaigns.
Tyrese Haliburton praises Thunder guard Alex Caruso's defense
During his NBA Finals Media Day presser, Haliburton was asked to share his thoughts on what makes Thunder guard Alex Caruso "such an effective defender, both on and then even more so off the ball."
While responding to the question, noting that he's got "a great basketball mind" and "a really high IQ as a defender and just as a basketball player in general," the 25-year-old opened up about his disdain for being guarded by Caruso and, in a playful manner, acknowledged how great it's been not having to see him on a regular basis throughout this past year.
"I saw a Zach LaVine interview the other day where he called him a crash dummy. He's just willing to put his body in so many different places and do whatever it takes to win. He's a great player... I was glad he was out of our division [this season]," Haliburton said.
From 2022-2024, the two regularly squared off against one another while AC was a member of the Chicago Bulls (who are in the Central Division along with Indiana), so they are quite familiar with one another's game.
During their final season residing in the same division, Caruso proved to be one of the most effective defenders when going up against Haliburton, as he held the All-Star to a mere 33.3 percent shooting when matched up against one another in 2023-24.
In 2024-25, it should come as little surprise that the point guard has also managed to fare quite poorly on the offensive side of the ball when facing this Thunder defense that now rosters the 31-year-old, as he wrapped up their season series averaging a putrid 11.0 points and 5.5 assists in two games, a far cry from his full-season averages of 18.6 points and 9.2 assists.
Of course, though he stated that he's happy to have Alex Caruso out of the Eastern Conference, from a competitor's standpoint, Tyrese Haliburton said that he's "definitely excited to compete against him" in the title-round.
This year's-long nightmare matchup for Hali is slated to be revived Thursday night out at Paycom Center, with tip-off scheduled for 8:30 pm (ET).