Tyreese Halliburton and the Indiana Pacers were scheduled to win Game 4, but collapsed in the fourth quarter. The Pacers star took accountability for the tough outcome.
The Indiana Pacers never took a 3-1 lead due to a great Game 4 performance. Unfortunately, the Pacers struggled in the fourth quarter, leading to a victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They had a 3-1 lead, which is a tough outcome for Indiana. The only time the team overcame during the infamous final in 2016. The series is tied up 2-2 to return to their home arena in Oklahoma City.
Tyreese Halliburton had a decent performance, but he is accountable for his losses. He is the leader of the Pacers, so he vows to play better by being more aggressive and affecting his box score.
The Pacers had an advantage in most of the matches against Thunder. Their most important lead was a three-point fight. Manager Mark Deigno’s team only hit three pointers, while manager Rick Carlisle was 11.
Unfortunately, the rebound battle was dominated by lightning, earning 43 rebounds for the Pacers’ 33. The paint point contradiction was huge as the OKC had 50 and the pacer had 36.
It was a fierce outcome for the Pacers as they know they’re better than this. They played well with five players who scored on the double figures, but they have to finish the game properly.
The Halliburton and the Pacers show their elite mentality for this run to the NBA Finals. It didn’t exist in Game 5 as they blew the lead away and brought Thunder back to the series.
“We didn’t do a good job. I didn’t do a great job keeping the pace of the game. I did a much better job of it in the last game, especially in the stretch,” Halliburton said at a four-time post-game press conference.
“Find a way to do a better job when you stop and run away. Fourth, we were fouling too many, getting the ball out and trying to run something instead of a random basketball.”
“It’s me. We need to play stretches faster. We’ll get better in Game 5.”
Thunder took the advantage of the home court of the upcoming mini best series. Game 5 is located in the Paycom Center in front of the wild Oklahoma City crowd. The underdogs may be strong in the finals of the 2020s, but OKC is a great team.
The series will return to Gainbridge Field House in Game 6, but if necessary, Game 7 will again be Paycom. Home court is especially important in the finals as Alex Caruso is talking loudly about the Gainbridge crowd.
It would be hard to beat the confident Thunder team who won the tough Game 4. They were backfooted for most of the game, but still won. When they return to the home floor, that’s a big boost for the lightning.
The Pacers will do their best to win this series as Halliburton has vowed to play better. Coach Carlisle has always trusted Star Guard, so there’s no need to worry. I hope he will become a playmaker, but he will be offensive in Game 5.