NBA Finals: Pacers Need Tyrese Haliburton To Lead With Shot, As Thunder Hit Indy

June 10, 2025

The last time the NBA Finals rolled through Indianapolis, Reggie Miller was 34, Larry Bird was coaching, and the Lakers were just getting started on a dynasty. That was 25 years ago. Game 5, 2000. Indiana blew out L.A. that night, but everyone knew where the series was heading.

Shaq, Kobe and Phil Jackson were taking the trophy home. They did, two nights later in Game 6.

So no, it wasn’t exactly a parade atmosphere here back then. But this year’s Finals? This one feels different. This one’s still in the air.

The Pacers and Thunder are tied 1-1, with the next two in Indianapolis. And for the first time in a generation, this place has a real chance to matter in June.

Of course, we’ve seen something like this before. Think back to 2001. Allen Iverson dropped 48 on the Lakers in Game 1, including that famous step-over Tyronn Lue. Then the Sixers lost the next four by a combined 40 points. L.A. was just too much.

So here we are again. The underdog steals Game 1. The favorite punches back in Game 2. What happens next is up to Indiana.

Here are four things to watch when the ball goes up Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse:

1. Pacers must win the “No SGA” minutes

This is one of those stats that NBA front offices and coaching staffs love these days. The on/off numbers.

And they make sense. They show what happens when your star is on the court — and when he isn’t.

With Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the contrast was wild. MVP-level dominance when he played, a mess when he didn’t. That gap helped prove his value.

Now here’s the thing about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: the Thunder didn’t collapse when he sat. They were still good. Really good. During the season, OKC was +16.7 per 100 possessions with him, and still +5.2 when he sat. That’s the mark of a deep team.

And so far in the NBA Finals, it’s been more of the same. The Thunder are +8 with SGA. And—maybe more concerning for Indiana — still +7 when he’s resting.

If the Pacers can’t take advantage of the five or six minutes per half when SGA is catching his breath, they’re in trouble.

They did it in Game 1, plus-4 when he sat. They didn’t in Game 2. That’s something to watch. Because if you’re not winning the minutes the MVP is off the court… when exactly are you winning?

2. Haliburton has to assert himself—just a bit

It’s not that Tyrese Haliburton’s been bad. But he’s been… polite. And this isn’t the time for manners.

Through two games, he’s taken 13 shots in each. He scored 14 and 17 points. He hasn’t shot a single free throw in either game. And that’s the number that jumps off the page.

This is the Finals. The paint should be crowded, the whistles inconsistent, and your knees should ache when you wake up. That’s part of the deal.

Haliburton’s pass-first instincts are part of what got Indiana here. But when the game slows down — and OKC’s defense definitely slows it down — you need your star to go get something.

Indiana is 7-1 in these playoffs when Haliburton scores 20+. Just 6-4 when he doesn’t. There’s your roadmap.

This doesn’t mean firing up 25 shots. It means a few more drives, a few more bumps, and a couple of those floaters where you get hit and still finish.

He doesn’t need to be Shai. He just needs to stop being so deferential.

3. Holmgren is starting to figure it out

Chet Holmgren is 7-foot-1 and weighs less than most NFL tight ends. But he’s getting better, game by game.

In Game 2, he didn’t block the world (just one shot) but he changed plenty. He defended pick-and-rolls, moved his feet, and helped make sure Indiana’s cutters didn’t get easy looks at the rim.

That’s big. Because the Pacers don’t have one guy who takes 30 shots. They have five guys who take 12. Their offense flows, and it needs space.

Holmgren is starting to erase some of that. His work with Isaiah Hartenstein in the frontcourt gives Mark Daigneault options. Big, long, switchable options.

4. The crowd, and the whistles, could shift

Let’s get this out of the way: the Thunder have taken 57 free throws. Indiana has taken 47. That’s a 10-shot difference. They’ve made 16 more.

And the series has been decided by … 15 points.

Now, maybe that’s coincidence. Or maybe it’s the kind of thing Pacers fans will be letting NBA refs hear about Wednesday night.

OKC’s defense is handsy. Physical. On the road, that can go one of two ways. Either the officials keep the whistles in their pocket, or the game turns into a parade to the free-throw line.

We’ll find out what kind of night it is soon enough.