Jason Smith and Mike Harmon share their thoughts and reactions immediately following the Thunder's victory in game 5 of the NBA Finals to take a 3-2 series lead. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton finished the game with just 4 points and was mostly invisible throughout the night. Jason and Mike discuss his struggles, debating whether the 25-year-old really deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as other superstars like he has in recent weeks.
Jason Smith: "Tyrese Haliburton played 34 minutes. 34 minutes for a guy who's supposed to be one of the NBA's next big superstars. [He finished with] 4 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and did not hit a shot from the floor tonight... in 34 minutes! He was not aggressive, he couldn't get to the rack, he looked panicked when he got the ball... He was not into this game, and that's the thing about Haliburton -- he's a front-runner. When things are going well, he's a great player, but when he sees adversity, he's a different guy... When he struggles out of the gate, he really has a hard time flipping that switch and finding a way to contribute... [he folds]. If you're a star player, you don't have a game like this [on this stage]. LeBron never had a 4-point game in the NBA Finals."
Mike Harmon: "[Take SGA for example.] What Shai does so well in comparison [even when he isn't playing well] is affecting the game, getting to the free throw line, and recognizing when he doesn't have his shot. He finds ways to affect the game in others ways... Sure, Haliburton had the injury scare early in this game, and maybe he wasn't quite right, but he was in the game! If you play through, I've gotta judge you based on what you put on tape. He was cleared to play, he decided to play, and he was invisible."