This was the first time in his postseason career that he was held without a single point in a first half.
It also marked the first time Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton — who was slowed by a lower right leg injury, an issue that has lingered since the Eastern Conference finals — failed to make a single basket in an entire playoff game.
His four points matched a career playoff low.
If there was one revelation to come from Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, June 16 — a 120-109 Oklahoma City victory that put the Thunder one win from a title — it’s that the Pacers, simply put, cannot win these NBA Finals if this is the Tyrese Haliburton that they are going to get.
The injury complicates matters further; Haliburton stumbled midway through the first quarter and immediately favored his right calf, the same leg he hurt in the previous round. Haliburton said he wasn’t sure if this injury was related to the previous round’s but acknowledged it was to the same area. Regardless, he insisted he will not miss time.
“It’s the Finals, man,” Haliburton said after the game. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete. Help my teammates any way I can.
“I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play. … Got to be ready to go for Game 6.”
Haliburton, more than any other player in this postseason, has shined in the clutch, bewildering opponents with his shot making and facilitating. Monday night, however, showed how deep and talented the Thunder are for Haliburton to be relegated a secondary player.
Thunder forward Jalen Williams dropped a playoff career-high 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the NBA Most Valuable Player — coasted to 31 points and 10 assists. Backups Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso have continued to contribute.
The common thread with Haliburton’s issues are slow starts.
Injury aside, Haliburton has started games in the NBA Finals far too slowly — at least with his scoring. Through five games, he is averaging just 5.8 points in the first halves on 11-of-28 (39.3%) shooting.
Haliburton is a player who often defers to his teammates, passing up open looks to get others going. While the injury might have impacted Haliburton’s aggression in Game 5, his six shot attempts are also a career postseason low, after he had averaged 14.5 attempts per game over the previous four games in the Finals.
Granted, Haliburton has excelled in second halves, but it’s difficult at times — especially against a historically good defensive team — to find a rhythm late in games.
Monday night was a perfect example of the problems that arise when a player like Haliburton is forced to catch fire late in a game in which he had been quiet.
Thanks largely to the play of backup point guard T.J. McConnell and forward Pascal Siakam, the Pacers closed the deficit to two points with eight-and-a-half minutes left. Normally, that would be the time when Haliburton would take over.
In 9:00 in the fourth, however, Haliburton didn’t attempt a single shot, though he did convert a pair of free throws.
Turnovers are another problem. Haliburton led the NBA during the regular season in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.61), but has averaged four turnovers per game in the Finals. He committed three of Indiana’s 23 on Monday night.
The Thunder, to be clear, are a dominant defensive team. Haliburton often draws the toughest assignments, with Thunder stopper Lu Dort usually tasked with guarding Haliburton.
McConnell, who scored 13 of his 18 points Monday night in the third quarter, has been stellar in lifting Indiana when Haliburton has struggled to score. Backup forward Obi Toppin (12 points) has also provided a spark. Siakam has been Indiana’s best offensive player.
The problem for the Pacers is that Haliburton at times has been third- or fourth-best on the team.
The immediate concern now turns toward Haliburton’s potential availability for Game 6 on Thursday, June 19.
“He’s not at a hundred percent,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after Game 5. “It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game. We were concerned at halftime, and he insisted on playing.
“I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he’s not a hundred percent — there’s a lot of guys in the series that aren’t.”
Carlisle added that the Pacers would “evaluate everything with Tyrese” and would continue to monitor him. With Indiana’s season hanging in the balance, however, it’s difficult seeing Haliburton sitting, barring some major setback.
But, even if he plays, Indiana won’t just merely need him to be on the floor; for the Pacers to have a shot to tie the series and set up a Game 7, they will need him to shine.
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