The Pacers and Thunder NBA Finals outperform “small market” billing
USA Today Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt categorizes the star-studded NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sports Pulse
now that It was a safe lead.
After dropping their first game of the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunders thoroughly dominated the Indiana Pacers in Game 2, 123-107, on Sunday, June 8th.
Indiana, which posted five comebacks in the postseason at least 15 points, did not seriously threaten Oklahoma City, which scored at least 15 points.
The NBA’s most valuable player, Shia Alexander led all players in an additional 30-point show.
Pacers star Tyreese Halliburton finished with 17 points, but he had just three-fifths to three-quarters.
The winners and losers of Game 2 of the NBA Finals are:
winner
Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins
It wasn’t just his defense, but Thunder backup guard Alex Caruso also poured 20 points (including four drained 3-pointers) at just 27:04 of his playing time. He was steady and aggressive at the offensive edge, cutting into the lane when the gap opened.
We will introduce fellow backup guard Aaron Wiggins. Those 18 points (including 5 points out of 3 to 5) lifted lightning at just 20:32. Caruso and Wiggins account for almost 65% of Oklahoma City’s 14 3-pointers, evidence of Thunder’s depth.
Chet Holmgren
This was exactly the bounceback game that the Thunder needed from centre Chetholmglen. After three nights, earning just six points in nine shots, Holmglen got to work, but most of his productions got faster. Nine of his 15 points came in the first quarter.
The lightning grows
Oklahoma City chose to play almost small in Game 1, then leaned further into the double big lineup on the floor at the same time, along with centre pairs Chetholmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. The results were instantaneous, with lightning dominating the points in the first half of the paint 26-12.
“It requires discipline, but you’ll actually use these early games in the series to learn what options are and what the trade-offs are. “That was the intention tonight, just to get a little more information.”
loser
Tyreese Halliburton is waiting too long
Throughout the first three quarters, the Pacers’ most important player scored just five points in two-seventh shooting. Throughout the fourth first three and a half minutes, Halliburton scored nine points and attempted all four attempts.
The Halliburton rep cannot approach, but his inexplicably slow start can be expensive. Thunder clogs paint and game plan, slowing down Halliburton’s attacks to paint. He needs to find a way to score regardless.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle downplayed Halliburton’s dull production, saying that the Indiana team is “an ecosystem” and it doesn’t matter where the points came from.
“There’s more to the game than to score,” he said after the game. “Everyone has to do more.”
Anyway, Halliburton is the most talented player on the team and the easiest player to score.
The Pacers don’t have the answer to OKC’s strength and physicality
After the game, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was asked what he thought of how the Pacers responded to Oklahoma City’s strengthening. Carlisle’s answer was simple in the cart.
“It’s not going well,” he said.
Lightning excels in crowding paint when the opposite player attacks, collapses, swarms, and balls. This will be expanded, especially if Oklahoma City is using the double big lineup with Holmglen and Hartenstein roaming down. In the regular season, the Thunder was first ranked for opponent points in per-game paint (42.5).
Indiana’s inability to attack paint hurts its intervals and its ability to get open looks from 3.
“Painting is our emphasis, paint is our friend. The more we can attack the paint, the better things usually happen,” Carlisle said.
Major players in the benchino show on the Pacer
Obitopin scored 17 points in Game 1. Thomas Bryant had 5 points. Both players combined Sunday nights to score four points in a 9th shooting.
Security guards TJ McConnell and Benedict Mathurin combined the 25, but the Pacers need more balance from their contributions.
Every morning, the biggest story. Stay up to date with all major sports developments by subscribing to the USA Today Sports newsletter.