The Indiana Pacers registered a nail-biting 111-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After trailing in the first three quarters, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. found a way to close out the game. While the Pacers did great to gain a 1-0 lead in the series, their performance failed to impress Shaquille O’Neal.
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The Lakers legend admitted he expected a blowout from the Oklahoma City Thunder before the game began. And for most of the game, Shaq’s prediction looked right on track. OKC had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and seemed poised to cruise to a win at home. But Indiana had other plans.
Despite playing subpar basketball for the first three quarters, the Pacers came back and stole the game through a clutch game-winner by Haliburton with less than a second left. Even though he hit the big shot, Shaq criticized Haliburton for being too “passive” for most of the game.
“This team is resilient, they never panic, they keep fighting no matter what the situation is…I did not expect this. I thought this should’ve been a blowout. Indiana did not play well at all,” Shaq said on Game Time.
“I thought even though Tyrese was 6 for 13 from the field, he was a bit too passive for me. I like people to step up to the challenge,” he added.
Haliburton had 14 points in the game with 10 rebounds and six assists. And Shaq felt the Pacers guard should’ve treated the game as his moment to step up.
Haliburton is the face of the franchise. So, a great performance on the biggest stage is expected from him. Other than the game-winning shot, he made no impact on the game.
Meanwhile, Shaq was impressed by the performances of some of the other Indiana players. “Obi Toppin played great. [Andrew] Nembhard hit a big step back three, and they just kept fighting,” he said.
Toppin had 17 points coming off the bench, and he shot 6 of 9 from the field. Nembhard contributed 14 points, four rebounds, and six assists in the winning cause. Other than these two, Pascal Siakam played a big role in the win with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
Although Shaq didn’t like the Pacers’ overall performance, he commended them for stealing the game from the more dominant side. OKC was in full control right from the jump.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team yet again with 38 points. But in the end, he didn’t get the help he needed from his teammates.
Shaq believes that a win like this is going to boost the morale of the Pacers. As a former athlete and a four-time NBA champion, Shaq understands that when a team wins the game without playing their best game, it raises their confidence.
