It s not unfair. Where did the Pacers G5 lose? Three major failures were exposed, and the biggest "sinner" was found

On June 17, 2025, on the stage of G5 in the NBA Finals, the Pacers lost to the Thunder 109-120 away, and the total score was rewritten to 2-3, falling into an extremely passive situation. The defeat in this game exposed many problems of the Pacers and needs to be solved urgently.

Failure 1: The Pacers' core Haliburton's sluggish performance is undoubtedly an important reason for the team's defeat. A hamstring strain made him completely lost on the offensive end. He made 0 of 6 shots in the game, 0 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 4 points by relying solely on free throws, setting a record for the worst score in the playoffs, and the plus-minus value -13 dragged the team down. As the team's organizational core, although he assisted 6 times in the game, his overall performance was average and he failed to effectively revitalize the team, and his team's cooperation efficiency was greatly reduced.

Failure 2: The Thunder's targeted defensive strategy also makes the Pacers' offense difficult. Dort led the defense of Halliburton in the whole game. With his strong body and positive defensive attitude, he successfully limited Halliburton's breakthrough and pass, causing him to fall into a singles quagmire. The Thunder's weak delay tactics have worked repeatedly, constantly interfering with the Pacers' pick-and-roll cooperation, disrupting their offensive rhythm, and making the Pacers' offense extremely struggling. In this game, the Pacers made 22 mistakes in the whole game, while the Thunder only 11 times. The Pacers scored only 9 points using their opponent's turnover, far lower than the Thunder's 32 points.

Failure 3: The Pacers' substitute also failed to stand up at critical moments. Although McConnell contributed 18 points in the game, the Pacers' substitute efficiency overall was poor. At the critical moment in the final quarter, the bench lacked a stable scoring point and could not provide enough firepower support for the team. In contrast, the Thunder's substitutes Wiggins and Wallace jointly scored 25 points, making great contributions to the team's victory.

Overall, Halliburton can be regarded as the Pacers' biggest sinner in this game. His inefficiency and mistakes directly destroyed the team's offensive rhythm. In the next G6, the Pacers must make changes to reduce turnovers and improve the stability of key players in the game. Only in this way can the Pacers make a comeback in desperate situations and continue the suspense of the finals.