As the final minutes ticked away in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 123-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the broadcast panned to a forlorn Tyrese Haliburton sitting on the bench.

The Indiana Pacers are on a storybook run this postseason, but Game 2 of the NBA Finals will be a forgettable chapter. There was no late plot twist. There was no heroic performance from the team's protagonist, Tyrese Haliburton. There was no deeper message to be read between the lines.

Indiana can’t afford another slow start by its best player if it wants a chance to win these NBA Finals, writes .