Insider: One key area will be X factor for Pacers star in Game 3

If you look at Haliburton's performance during the first two games of the NBA Finals, Windhorst certainly has a point.

For the season as a whole, Haliburton has averaged 18.6 points per game and 9.2 assists per game, which is third in the entire league. Although he posted a double-double in Game 1 and has recorded six assists in both games, Haliburton has been limited to only 31 combined points in the series so far.

On top of that, he has attempted 13 shots in each game. For comparison, Thunder star, and 2025 NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had 30 or more points in both games and has attempted at least 21 shots in each one.

As Windhorst alluded to, Haliburton has played six games against the Thunder in the last two years and only averaged 11 shots. While Oklahoma City has certainly had his number recently, that has been the case for much of the league as well.

According to TeamRankings, the Thunder allow the third-fewest points per game (107.3 PPG) this season, and that defensive tenacity seems to be the case once again in the NBA Finals through the first two games.

That is not to say the Pacers cannot turn things around on their home court, but unless Haliburton and Co. are able to get better looks from the field, it is going to be a tall task for Indiana to win its first NBA title.