The Indiana Pacers were eager to return home early Monday, likely for several reasons. Perhaps they wanted to leave Oklahoma City after splitting the first two games of the NBA Finals, or maybe they were excited to experience the finals atmosphere in Indianapolis for the first time in 25 years. Most likely, they were just ready to get back to work.
The Pacers and Thunder are tied 1-1 in the series, and for the underdog Pacers, that’s a big deal—they managed to steal home-court advantage with their Game 1 win. But if they don’t perform well at home starting with Game 3 on Wednesday, the advantage could quickly shift back to the Thunder.
“We’re going to have to be a lot better on Wednesday,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
This isn’t just coach talk. So far, no Pacers player has scored 20 points in either of the Finals games. The team has only led for a total of 1 minute and 54 seconds across both games—less than 2% of the time. In Game 2, Oklahoma City completely shut down the Pacers inside, holding them scoreless in the paint for the entire first quarter—a rare feat against Indiana, which hadn’t gone without a paint point in the first quarter for more than nine years.
“We have to do a better job of getting to the paint,” said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. “It’s easier said than done. Our offense is built from the inside-out, and we need to attack downhill more. They collapse on us and then make plays. They have great defenders at the point of attack and strong rim protectors.”
Despite the Thunder’s impressive season record of 81 wins in 100 games, their defense has flown under the radar. In the first two Finals games, Oklahoma City dared Indiana to shoot from outside while fiercely protecting the paint.
A big part of this strategy has been shutting down Haliburton. Thunder forward Luguentz Dort, tasked with guarding him much of the time, explained his approach: “Most guys I guard have the ball a lot. I just try to stay in front of him and make everything difficult. He’s a great player who makes tough shots and smart plays, so I have to stay close.”
The Thunder allowed the fewest paint points during the regular season, setting up a battle of styles. The Pacers averaged 46 paint points in their 13 playoff wins, but only 36 in their five losses.
“We’ve been one of the better teams at scoring in the paint all year and have to establish that early,” said Pacers forward Myles Turner. “We only had four or six points in the paint in the first half of Game 2, and that’s not Pacers basketball. Relying on threes and mid-range shots doesn’t always work out.”
Playing at home might give the Pacers an edge. After splitting the first two games in Oklahoma City, things could be worse. Now they have a couple of days to figure out how to counter the Thunder’s tight defense.
“We’ll watch the film and see where we can improve,” Haliburton said. “We know the paint is our focus and our friend. When we attack the paint, usually good things happen for us.”
