While this year’s NBA Finals may not be getting outstanding ratings or feature any household names or marquee teams, the series is turning into a very interesting one.
The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 from the Oklahoma City Thunder after overcoming a 15-point deficit on the road in Game 1. On Friday, the Thunder earned a 111-104 victory to tie the series at two games apiece, and many likely feel at this point that they have no idea who will end up claiming the championship.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers has come up big in crunch time throughout the playoffs, including in Game 1 when he hit the game-winning shot. But at times, he hasn’t asserted himself enough, and on Friday, he scored 18 points while committing five turnovers.
Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson, who won five world titles and three finals MVP awards during his career, said on ESPN’s “First Take” prior to Game 4 that Haliburton needs to assert himself a lot more as a scorer to get the job done.
“So what’s he’s gotta do is understand what he has to do to help the Pacers beat OKC,” Johnson said. “You can’t just have 15 assists and 12 points or 15 points. That’s not enough. You gotta score in this series. See, you gotta remember that OKC is the highest scoring team in the league, so you have to personally, Haliburton, come out and say, ‘I gotta get my assists but also I gotta score. I gotta score.’ I had to do that against the [Boston] Celtics. I couldn’t just have 20 assists. I had to 25 to 30 points for us to beat ’em and I was able to do that. So don’t take it personal what people are saying because the first two games you said it yourself. ‘I didn’t play good. I could play better.’ So now let’s concentrate on Game 4. This what happened last night you gotta take that into Game 4.”
While Johnson averaged 19.5 points a game for his career in the playoffs, he periodically stepped things up offensively when needed and had his share of big scoring games in the NBA Finals. It’s what superstars must do at times to deliver big victories for their teams.
There has been talk in recent months about whether Haliburton, who made the All-Star team in both of the previous two seasons but didn’t this season, is overrated. At this point, the general consensus seems to be that he’s not overrated, but that he’s not a superstar either.
Johnson made it clear during that same appearance on “First Take” that to be a superstar, one has to lead his team to a championship. At a minimum, that is the task that lies ahead for Haliburton if he is to go from being merely a star to a superstar.
Game 5 will take place on Monday in Oklahoma City, and Game 6 will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, June 19. If the series goes to the limit, Game 7 would take place in Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 22.
