Much has been made of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s defensive depth and youth, but the Indiana Pacers proved they can match — and maybe even exceed — that same formula with their own brand of relentless, full-court intensity.
As The Athletic’s Eric Nehm and Shakeia Taylor wrote, Indiana has leaned into what it calls the “wear-down effect” throughout its postseason run.
The approach? Use speed, fresh legs and a deep bench to apply pressure from end to end, force mistakes late, and slowly grind down the opposition’s rhythm. In Game 1 of the Finals, it worked like a charm.
“We want to make it hard,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the comeback win. “Each game in the series is going to look different. A playoff series is a series of seven chapters, you know, and each one takes on a different personality.”
Chapter One ended with Indiana walking off the court with a 1-0 series lead, and looking like the aggressor in a matchup that had been billed as a defensive battle in Oklahoma City’s favor.
Haliburton Shifts Gears, Shifts Series
The game-winner belonged to Tyrese Haliburton, but the performance went deeper than one shot. According to RG.org’s Grant Afseth, scouts were especially impressed by how Haliburton read the game and adjusted accordingly.
“He came out in the third quarter and changed the tone,” one Eastern Conference assistant coach told Afseth. “That’s growth. You don’t wait until the fourth quarter to flip a switch.”
That maturity has become the foundation of Indiana’s unlikely Finals run — and it’s the fulfillment of a long-term vision Carlisle had when he returned to the Pacers for a second stint as head coach. The relationship between Carlisle and Haliburton, as detailed by Jared Weiss of The Athletic, has grown from mentorship to partnership.
“I think that it got to the point for me where when you’re young, establishing yourself in the NBA, you’re kind of working your way through things and trying to figure out where you stand in the league,” Haliburton said. “Where I’m at now, I’m really comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I’ve really started to establish myself in this league.”
Looking Ahead
As Game 2 looms, the Thunder face more than just a one-game deficit — they face a Pacers team with depth, belief, and a star point guard coming into his own in real time. Indiana has shown that it’s not just riding momentum, it’s dictating it.
And with each game taking on its own “personality,” as Carlisle described, the Thunder might need to rewrite theirs fast.
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