With Tyrese Haliburton hobbled and struggling, Pacers' title hopes are fading

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With Tyrese Haliburton hobbled and struggling, Pacers' title hopes are fading
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Pacers and Thunder NBA Finals is better than it's 'small-market' billing
USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the star-studded NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
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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 star Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton 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 away 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.
Complicating matters further, Haliburton is being slowed by a lower right leg injury suffered midway through the first quarter, an issue that has lingered since the Eastern Conference finals.
'I don't know exactly what's wrong, but I know he's fighting and he's going to give us everything he's got,' Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said after the game. 'We are a hundred percent behind him and we support him. I think one thing he showed, his resiliency. He showed that all year. I think that we can continue to count on him to keep fighting. I admire that from him, just because I know that it's hard.'
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 the Haliburton 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, Haliburton is averaging just 5.8 points in the first halves on 11-of-28 (39.3%) shooting.
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 Siakam, the Pacers closed the deficit to just two points with eight-and-a-half minutes left in the game. 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.
The Thunder, to be clear, are a dominant defensive team. Haliburton often draws the toughest assignments, with Thunder stopper Luguentz 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 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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