G5 Pacers 109-120 Thunder, 4 bad news after the game, lack of strong solutions in the final quarter, Carlisle makes mistakes in employing people

In the NBA Finals G5, the Pacers lost to the Thunder 109-120. Although the score difference was narrowed to 2 points in the second half, they eventually lost the victory due to the collapse of offense and defense. The game not only puts the Pacers under pressure to lose, but also brings four worrying bad news.

Among them, Halliburton's accidental injury is undoubtedly a huge loss for the team. As the core of the team, his performance is extremely critical. If he can maintain excellent form in the game, the Pacers have every hope of turning the decline in G6. Halliburton has excellent control over the ball at critical moments, and once he is unable to effectively organize the offense and makes frequent mistakes, the Pacers' performance in the final quarter will be seriously affected. They were stolen by their opponents in the last quarter, which is a clear proof of this.

In addition, head coach Carlisle's employment strategy has also attracted attention. For example, McConnell performed well in this game and successfully maintained efficient offense and ball control. However, Carlisle chose to continue to reuse Halliburton, and such a decision was puzzling. If McConnell could be put on the court earlier, the results of the game might be different. Siakam also has less ball rights at critical moments, further weakening the team's possibility of dominating the situation in the final quarter.

Pacers seem to be inappropriate in handling pick-and-roll switch defense when facing the Thunder. The fundamental reason is that the team's lack of clearing ability. Once the game enters positional battle, their offensive efficiency is difficult to guarantee. Most of the time they are hovering on the outside and lack the courage and ability to break through the inside, and many players are afraid to even try to shoot. Siakam's ball-holding ability is also worrying, which is also an important reason why the Pacers failed to achieve a reversal in the final quarter, which has had a fatal impact on the team's overall performance.

Finally, Nemhard's performance is worth pondering. At the critical moment when the Pacers chased to 2 points, his continuous pass mistakes allowed the Thunder to easily launch a counterattack and quickly restored their lead. Without those few mistakes, Thunder might not be able to adjust his mentality quickly. Nemhard's sluggish performance in this game became a key turning point that led to the Pacers' defeat.