One breakout performance could lead Pacers to NBA title

No one on the Indiana Pacers has gone full superhero mode in the NBA Finals, and they've still pushed the series to a Game 7. The Pacers are toe-to-toe with one of the most electric young teams in the league: the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Tyrese Haliburton has been the Pacers’ primary playmaker, averaging approximately 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the Finals.

The Thunder, led by MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and flanked by a host of rising talent, were supposed to have the upper hand. But Indiana has kept things messy – and that’s exactly how it likes it.

Look no further than T.J. McConnell. The guy plays like he’s stuck in a time machine, all mid-range jumpers and tricky footwork, with a shot release that looks like it was animated in stop-motion. And somehow, defenses can’t seem to figure him out. He’s the kind of X factor that throws rhythm out the window; his game is unorthodox, relentless and maddeningly efficient when it counts.

Then there’s Myles Turner, who everyone is kind of waiting for to rise to the occasion. The big man hasn’t had that game yet, but the clock’s ticking, and the law of averages has to kick in at some point. In Game 3, Turner logged five blocks and added strong rim protection, which was his most impactful defensive display of the series.

He’s been quiet-ish this series, but every playoff run has a “surprise explosion” candidate, and Turner fits the bill. If he starts hitting from deep or protecting the rim like we’ve seen him do in stretches, he could swing momentum in Indiana’s favor before OKC even realizes what’s happening.

Meanwhile, on the Thunder’s side, some cracks are showing; most notably, Chet Holmgren. The rookie phenom has been up and down all postseason, but in this series, he’s looked more like he's getting baptized by playoff fire than the unicorn everyone was hyping in October. He's giving you 11.3 points, nine rebounds and one block through these six games, but a lot of people were expecting him to take a leap from last year.

He’s still doing the little things that do matter, like contesting shots and grabbing boards, but when it comes to asserting himself, it feels like the moment might be swallowing him a bit. The flashes are there, but so are the turnovers, the hesitation and the physical mismatches.

And that’s what makes Indiana dangerous; there's not a single player who's carrying the load. It’s death by committee, and when you don’t have a focal point to lock in on, it’s easy to get disoriented.

That's not to say that OKC is in trouble — the team has the coaching and the tools to win the title. However, the Pacers are very well-rounded, poised when they need to be, and they've kept themselves in this series by more than a stroke of luck. 

Who would have thought that a scrappy team that wasn't supposed to be here, led by an injured Tyrese Haliburton, who was labeled as “overrated” by his peers, would be positioned to take down the best-seeded Mighty Thunder? You can bet that this team is looking to muck it up in Game 7, and who knows, we might just be looking at an ‘04 Pistons vs. Lakers-level upset.