Tyrese Haliburton’s stardom has grown in the NBA playoffs for the Indiana Pacers.
He is becoming as beloved as Pacer legend, Reggie Miller, but will Haliburton bring Indiana an NBA Championship?
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The 25-year-old has another star in his path, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the biggest X-factor in this NBA Finals between Oklahoma City and Indiana may not be a starter. Jay Williams, an analyst for ESPN, sees a role player for the Thunder as a marquee X-factor — especially on defense. Williams highlighted Luguentz “Lu” Dort as the reason why OKC has a chance to sweep the Pacers in getting a championship. Dort did not average double figures in scoring in the playoff series versus Memphis, Denver, and Minnesota, but his defense was critical. He timed up steals and rebounds perfectly, aiding the Thunder to be Western Conference Champions. Williams details the best matchup will be between Haliburton and Dort on the floor.
“If Lu Dort is able to take Hali out of the game, this will probably be a sweep.” ????
—@RealJayWilliams pic.twitter.com/m4wklElepd
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 5, 2025
“If Lu Dort is able to take Hali out of the game, this will probably be a sweep,” Williams said Thursday on ESPN’s Get Up.
“Indiana has to take care of the basketball. In the regular season, they were third-best in the league in taking care of the ball. When you think about OKC in the playoffs, they are forcing 20-plus turnovers per game and 25 points off those turnovers. So, taking care of the ball and him [Haliburton] being able to get into transition is going to be critical for the Pacers to have a fighting shot.”
Dort will be on his A game defensively, but if he comes alive more on offense it will be scary for the Pacers.
Game one of the finals begins Thursday night at 7:30 on ABC from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
