Pacers’ Haliburton Vows to Improve First-Half Scoring Struggles
The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton has pledged to address his first-half scoring woes after a lacklustre performance in Sunday’s 123-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Haliburton, who has been instrumental in the Pacers’ playoff campaign with several clutch baskets, including a last-second winner in game one of the Finals on Thursday, struggled to make an impact in the first halves of both games one and two. In game one, he scored just six points in the first half, while in Sunday’s game, he managed a paltry three points in the first two quarters.
"I think I’ve had two really poor first halves," Haliburton admitted, as quoted in the Yahoo Sports article. "I just have to figure out how to be better earlier in games." Despite eventually finishing with 17 points on Sunday, Haliburton coughed up five turnovers in the face of a suffocating Thunder defensive effort.
The Pacers’ loss means the series is now level at 1-1, with the teams heading back to Indianapolis for game three on Wednesday. However, Haliburton remains optimistic, stating that the Pacers will take heart from managing to split the opening two games on the road. "It’s still a race, first to four," Haliburton said. "We are going to our home court tied 1-1, and we love playing at home. So just see where we can get better, and yeah, take it a day at a time."
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has brushed off concerns about Haliburton’s struggles in the early part of games, stressing that the Pacers have collective responsibility for scoring. "There’s a lot more to the game than just scoring," Carlisle said, according to Yahoo Sports. "So everybody’s got to do more. It starts with the best players. People shouldn’t just look at (Haliburton’s) points and assists and judge how he played, or judge how any of our guys played just on that."
The Pacers’ coach emphasised that his team is built on a collective approach, with a focus on teamwork and functionality. "That’s just not — that’s not how our team is built. We are an ecosystem that has to function together, and stats — we’ve got to score enough points to win the game but who gets them and how they get them, not important," Carlisle said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Haliburton also acknowledged the Thunder’s defensive prowess, saying, "Kudos to them. They are a great defensive team but (I’ll) watch the film and see where I can get better." With the series now poised at 1-1, the Pacers will look to regroup and refocus as they head back to Indianapolis for game three on Wednesday.
The Indiana Pacers’ chances of turning the series around will depend on their ability to address their first-half scoring struggles and maintain a consistent level of performance throughout the game. As Yahoo Sports reports, Haliburton’s improvement in this area will be crucial to the Pacers’ success in the remainder of the series.
