The magic run of the 2024-2025 Indiana Pacers hit an unfortunate roadblock in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The OKC Thunder managed to hold off a surge comeback from Indy, and went up 3-2 in the series with a 120-109 victory.
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Although it was a failure on the part of the team, Point Guard Tyrese Haliburton seems to be bearing the brunt. The 25-year-old superstar managed to score only 4 points all off Free Throws, and shot 0-6 from the field. Notably, it seems he was dealing with a calf injury to boot. However, for head coach Rick Carlisle, Haliburton had simply been too clutch this postseason to be on the bench.
Unfortunately, that decision came back to bite Carlisle and the Pacers. Curiously, T.J. McConnell was having a much better game, dropping 18 points, yet Hali seemed too big a name for Carlisle to drop. The move now has analysts criticizing not just the coach, but Haliburton himself for going along with the plan without consideration for the damage he was leaving in his wake.
“Obviously, this is one of the cases where, as an athlete, you have to save yourself from yourself,” said 2020 champion Markieff Morris on today’s NBA on ESPN. Morris expanded his analysis and explained that even though Hali meant well, he needs to be aware of what the stakes are.
“If you can’t be effective on the court when it’s needed, I don’t think you need to be out there. He’s a young player; he just wants to help the team. I don’t think he actually had enough to make them better,” the 35-year-old vet stated.
Morris wasn’t done either. He continued to shower criticism on Hali and Carlisle, and wondered why McConnell wasn’t utilized more when he was clearly ballin’.
“He literally couldn’t get past a person, past a defender yesterday. So it’s like, ‘What do I do? Do I go out there and hurt my team by playing hurt? Or do I take a step back with T.J. McConnell playing as well as he is?'” Morris asked.
Fellow analyst Marcus Morris Sr. jumped in to agree with Markieff, but asserted that, as coach Carlisle needed to take the lion’s share of the blame.
“That’s not his call then,” said Marcus. “If I’m the head coach, the player doesn’t want to come out.”
It’s a difficult situation. On the one hand, the Pacers are only in the Finals because of Hali’s excellence throughout the playoffs. On the other hand, Game 5 was a big one, and his failure to make a field goal won’t just hurt his confidence but put Indy in a tough situation.
That said, the Pacers will have a chance to even the series this Thursday when they return home to Indiana. Hopefully, Hali reverts to his old self. Otherwise, it’s curtains for Indy’s magic run.
