Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers were going to win Game 4, but they collapsed in the fourth quarter. The Pacers’ star took accountability for the tough result.
The Indiana Pacers were going to take an unlikely 3-1 lead due to a stellar Game 4 performance. Unfortunately, the Pacers struggled in the fourth quarter, which led to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win.
It is a tough result for Indiana because they would have had a 3-1 lead. The only time a team overcame that was during the infamous 2016 Finals. The series is all tied up at 2-2, as they head back to Oklahoma City’s home arena.
Tyrese Haliburton had a decent performance, but he is taking accountability for the loss. He is the Pacers’ leader, so he vows to play better by being more aggressive and impacting the box score.
The Pacers had the advantage for most of the game against the Thunder. Their most significant lead was in the three-point battle. Coach Mark Daigneault’s team only hit three three-pointers, while coach Rick Carlisle’s team had 11.
Unfortunately, the rebounding battle is where the Thunder dominated, getting 43 rebounds to the Pacers’ 33. The discrepancy in points in the paint was big, as OKC had 50, while the Pacers had 36.
It was a bitter result for the Pacers because they know they are better than this. They were playing well with five players scoring in double-figures, but they must finish off the game properly.
Haliburton and the Pacers have shown an elite mentality for this run to the NBA Finals. That was not present during Game 5, as they blew a lead and let the Thunder back into the series.
“We didn’t do a good job. I didn’t do a great job of keeping the pace of the game. I did a much better job of that in the last game, especially down the stretch,” Haliburton said in his post-Game 4 press conference.
“Figure out how we can do a better job of when we do get stops, go out running. A lot of times in that fourth, we were fouling too much, taking the ball out, and trying to run something instead of random basketball.”
“That’s on me, I gotta get us playing faster down the stretch. I’ll be better in Game 5.”
The Thunder have snatched home-court advantage for the upcoming mini best-of-three series. Game 5 is at Paycom Center in front of the rowdy Oklahoma City crowd. Underdogs might be strong in the Finals during the 2020s, but OKC are a fantastic team.
The series shifts back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 6, but if necessary, Game 7 will be at Paycom again. Home court matters in the Finals, especially since Alex Caruso has spoken about the loud Gainbridge crowd.
It will be challenging to beat a confident Thunder team that won a tough Game 4. They were on the back foot for most of the game, but they still won it. That is a huge boost for the Thunder, as they head back to their home floor.
The Pacers will do their best to win this series, as Haliburton has vowed to play better. Coach Carlisle will not be worried, as he always trusts his star guard. Expect him to be a playmaker, but he will be aggressive in Game 5.
