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Bennedict Mathurin counted the days until his NBA Finals moment for the Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS — To make a dream reality, you must set a due date.
Last season, Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin suffered a labrum tear in his right shoulder that ended his season. After his surgery, Mathurin got a calendar to track the days until he was cleared to play. Each day, Mathurin would come into the Pacers' training room and tear off the page, marking himself one day closer to returning to the court with his teammates.
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On Wednesday, Mathurin scored a game-high 27 points in 22 minutes in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He scored the most points for a reserve in a finals game since Jason Terry in 2011. Mathurin's historic performance off the bench in the 116-107 win helped Indiana take a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder and win their first Game 3 in these playoffs. It was also the most points scored by a player who saw 22 minutes or less of action in a finals game.
'Every day he would come in and take one off, take one off,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'He was counting the days down to being cleared sometime in August. Then be able to begin training camp, begin five-on-five with our guys in September and then be in training camp, really, with his eyes firmly set on an opportunity in the playoffs.
'He's put in a lot of work to be ready for these moments, and tonight he was an absolute major factor.'
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Mathurin missed last year's Eastern Conference finals, when the Pacers were swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, but he watched his teammates and listened to his coaches, mentally preparing himself for the moment he would get to help them win.
'I think as much as I was out last year, not being able to play, I learned a lot,' Mathurin said. 'Just being on the bench and being next to the coaches who were able to run me through the game and stuff like that. It was an unfortunate situation, but I was fortunate enough to learn a lot and be ready for this year.'
During the regular season, Mathurin's minutes were up and down. Mathurin played 16 minutes in Game 1, finishing with five points. In Game 2, he played 22 minutes and scored 14. Mathurin sat for the first quarter Wednesday night, but after the Thunder jumped ahead 32-24, Mathurin was ready and the Pacers came storming back.
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The second unit proved incredibly impactful, outscoring Oklahoma City's reserves 49-18. Veteran guard and crowd favorite T.J. McConnell provided a spark with 10 points, five assists and five steals. Big man Obi Toppin added eight points, including a monster put-back dunk in the fourth quarter, six rebounds and two blocks.
'That's our job, just get in the game and have that mindset,' Mathurin said. 'I think once we get in the game, I told the guys yesterday we won't have as many chances as when we start the game. Obviously, we have less minutes.
'But I think you just have to get in the game with the right mindset and give it all you've got to win the game.'
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton nearly had a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. Pascal Siakam added 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and one block. Center Myles Turner added five blocks. The Pacers ended the game with four players in double figures.
'This is the kind of team that we are,' Carlisle said. 'We need everybody to be ready. It's not always going to be exactly the same guys that are stepping up with scoring and stuff like that, but this is how we got to do it. We got to do it as a team.'
At halftime, Mathurin led all Indiana scorers with 14 points. After the Pacers ended the third quarter down 89-84, Mathurin opened the fourth hitting a spinning floater and was fouled. He hit his free throw to bring the deficit to two, and the Pacers were off and running. Mathurin was efficient with his minutes. He was 9 of 12 from the field, 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and 7 of 8 from the line.
'I thought he did just a great job of playing within what we do so well. He did a great job of coming off handoffs, reading the pocket, rising up from the mid-range,' Haliburton said. 'This is a defense that will give that up. Analytically, that's not the best shot. But I thought he did a great job of hunting that and getting downhill.
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'What Ben does at such a high level is getting to the free-throw line, and in this series we need to get to free throws. We need to get to the paint. I thought he did a great job of that.'
Added Siakam: 'I think he was great being aggressive. That's who we want him to be, and when he's aggressive, he's active on defense. He's picking up full court. He's cutting. When he's doing that, it looks easy out there for him. So we just want him to keep that same mindset and energy every single day, and I know that, again, his minutes might be here and there. He just keeps going. That's what we're going to need from him.'
Though the Pacers got the win, they aren't celebrating. They expect the Thunder to come back Friday night with a counterpunch to try and even the series before heading back to OKC. The bench unit coming to life Wednesday night bodes well for Indiana if it can maintain that momentum. Mathurin and the rest of Indiana's supporting cast will need to step up once again to help put the top-seeded Thunder against the ropes.
In front of a raucous gold-out home crowd, the Pacers hosted their first finals game since 2000, and with a series lead on the line, Mathurin once again turned the page. But this time, it put him and the Pacers closer to their ultimate goal.
'I'm not trying to live in my dream,' Mathurin said. 'I'm trying to live in the present and make sure the dream ends well, which means winning the next game and winning a championship.'
(Photo of Bennedict Mathurin: A.J. Mast / NBAE via Getty Images)
