2026 NBA Season

[Dave1]

I always see so much people talking about Haliburton as the key or main player of Indiana and is ok but i think and feel like that is not 100% accurate, lets me explain.

For me the most decissive and important player in the whole Indiana Pacers team is Paskal Siakam he is the real beast, he makes the team is what it is, Haliburton is the body and the star but the soul and heart is paskal Siakam.

We all have our own opinions. Siakam is more of a scorer and defender, but when it comes to a point guard who makes the whole team better, that’s Hali. He might not always score a lot, but if you look at the team, almost all the starters are in double digits, and that’s because Hali is able to create open shots for them. One bad game from Hali doesn’t erase everything he’s done for the team so far, and let’s not forget, his Game 1 performance and that game-winning shot were huge and can’t just be ignored.

Yes, there are stats the we won't see, like who is going to take the last shot and obviously, it will be Haliburton in this case for Indiana. And we all know that if you are going to win against Indiana, you will have to stop Haiburton and not give him that comfort zone.

Game 3 will be in Indiana, so I'm expecting for the Pacers to make a good game here. And even if they are still the underdog even if the game will be in their homecourt, it might be good for the bettors to go for them as this could be an easy bet.

[OgNasty]

As I predicted earlier, it looks like the Lakers are trying hard to get Walker Kessler from the Jazz. Looking at the stats and contracts of available players the Lakers need for their roster, this should be their number one target. After they trade for him, they can start seeing what sort of free agent signings they can make happen.

[EFS]

I always see so much people talking about Haliburton as the key or main player of Indiana and is ok but i think and feel like that is not 100% accurate, lets me explain.

For me the most decissive and important player in the whole Indiana Pacers team is Paskal Siakam he is the real beast, he makes the team is what it is, Haliburton is the body and the star but the soul and heart is paskal Siakam.

These players complete each other well. While Haliburton gets double teams with his shooting threat, other players are able to find open space. When Siakam becomes a threat inside the paint, it creates outside shooting opportunities for others. Teams that manage to strike this kind of balance usually be more successful. Teams with one star big and one star guard tend to be more prone to success. We can list countless examples: Shaq-Kobe, Gasol-Kobe, Mutombo-Iverson, Kareem-Magic and many more. I think this is one of the reasons behind the Pacers' success. The other is that the role players are working really well. Players like Toppin, Nesmith, Nembhard, Mathurin, Turner and even Bryant are fulfilling their roles and that collective effort leads to success.

[terrific]

I always see so much people talking about Haliburton as the key or main player of Indiana and is ok but i think and feel like that is not 100% accurate, lets me explain.

For me the most decissive and important player in the whole Indiana Pacers team is Paskal Siakam he is the real beast, he makes the team is what it is, Haliburton is the body and the star but the soul and heart is paskal Siakam.

They complement each other and with the help of other players, these discussions about key players are very normal.
There is nothing wrong if someone thinks that those people who said that he is the main guy, is not wrong either.
Siakam no doubt, he's the conference MVP and that's why but these two are good and they can be said as the main players of the Pacers.

[passwordnow]

Alright, I guess that the rumor about Giannis going out of Bucks has been there since last year. But he's cutoff all of the speculations and he's said that he's intended to stay in the franchise and he's said that he didn't asked for any trade. Still looking good for the Bucks then.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Stays Committed to Bucks Amid Trade Rumors and Lillard Injury

[Shinpako09]

I always see so much people talking about Haliburton as the key or main player of Indiana and is ok but i think and feel like that is not 100% accurate, lets me explain.

For me the most decissive and important player in the whole Indiana Pacers team is Paskal Siakam he is the real beast, he makes the team is what it is, Haliburton is the body and the star but the soul and heart is paskal Siakam.

We all have our own opinions. Siakam is more of a scorer and defender, but when it comes to a point guard who makes the whole team better, that’s Hali. He might not always score a lot, but if you look at the team, almost all the starters are in double digits, and that’s because Hali is able to create open shots for them. One bad game from Hali doesn’t erase everything he’s done for the team so far, and let’s not forget, his Game 1 performance and that game-winning shot were huge and can’t just be ignored.

Yes, there are stats the we won't see, like who is going to take the last shot and obviously, it will be Haliburton in this case for Indiana. And we all know that if you are going to win against Indiana, you will have to stop Haiburton and not give him that comfort zone.

Game 3 will be in Indiana, so I'm expecting for the Pacers to make a good game here. And even if they are still the underdog even if the game will be in their homecourt, it might be good for the bettors to go for them as this could be an easy bet.

Yeah, Siakam is like their main scorer, but if you watch the game, Haliburton is more of a facilitator. He can score, but I think he chooses to be more of a facilitator than a scorer, especially in the early game. It's a good thing, as he is making use of his teammates. If you see the stats, their overall scoring is well spread. They are all contributing, and that's how it should be, as Siakam’s or Haliburton’s offense won't be enough to beat OKC. Also, Hali will still have gas left for the 4th quarter, especially in the final few minutes of the game when they are chasing the lead and he is the one taking the shots.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Alright, I guess that the rumor about Giannis going out of Bucks has been there since last year. But he's cutoff all of the speculations and he's said that he's intended to stay in the franchise and he's said that he didn't asked for any trade. Still looking good for the Bucks then.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Stays Committed to Bucks Amid Trade Rumors and Lillard Injury

I also saw a video about that yesterday. It's getting harder and harder to believe the news since someone obviously is lying. Is it the "insiders" or the players, we will find out soon enough. If Giannis is actually off the board this make this "possibly the biggest offseason ever" a lot less exciting. I mean he was by far the biggest name. Sure there is an aging KD and so on which are also on the move but everybody wanted Giannis, that's for sure!!

[Mr. Magkaisa]

Alright, I guess that the rumor about Giannis going out of Bucks has been there since last year. But he's cutoff all of the speculations and he's said that he's intended to stay in the franchise and he's said that he didn't asked for any trade. Still looking good for the Bucks then.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Stays Committed to Bucks Amid Trade Rumors and Lillard Injury

I also saw a video about that yesterday. It's getting harder and harder to believe the news since someone obviously is lying. Is it the "insiders" or the players, we will find out soon enough. If Giannis is actually off the board this make this "possibly the biggest offseason ever" a lot less exciting. I mean he was by far the biggest name. Sure there is an aging KD and so on which are also on the move but everybody wanted Giannis, that's for sure!!

Theres 2 names in the NBA now on all corner. Giannis, this trade should be done anytime soon, this will benefit the Bucks for their future as long as they can get a lot from the trade.
If the contract will expire i know Giannis will go forward without the control of the management. Some team can give all in on this as Ante can be their future.

For Durant issue, Spurs is one contender on this, knowing durant he would go to this team with the roster they have. but durant now is not for a long term and very fragile.
You cant give a lot for this old player, 1-2 years is enough.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Theres 2 names in the NBA now on all corner. Giannis, this trade should be done anytime soon, this will benefit the Bucks for their future as long as they can get a lot from the trade.
If the contract will expire i know Giannis will go forward without the control of the management. Some team can give all in on this as Ante can be their future.

For Durant issue, Spurs is one contender on this, knowing durant he would go to this team with the roster they have. but durant now is not for a long term and very fragile.
You cant give a lot for this old player, 1-2 years is enough.

You should have read the posts above you instead of just quoting them. There is not trade "anytime soon" for Giannis since he voiced his intention to stay with the Bucks. Also he apparently never requested a trade from Milwaukee. Several news outlets and Brian Windhorst reported about this, so I think this is legit. The biggest name seems to be off the trade block which makes the offseason much less interesting for contenders looking for a new superstar.

[Dave1]

Theres 2 names in the NBA now on all corner. Giannis, this trade should be done anytime soon, this will benefit the Bucks for their future as long as they can get a lot from the trade.
If the contract will expire i know Giannis will go forward without the control of the management. Some team can give all in on this as Ante can be their future.

For Durant issue, Spurs is one contender on this, knowing durant he would go to this team with the roster they have. but durant now is not for a long term and very fragile.
You cant give a lot for this old player, 1-2 years is enough.

You should have read the posts above you instead of just quoting them. There is not trade "anytime soon" for Giannis since he voiced his intention to stay with the Bucks. Also he apparently never requested a trade from Milwaukee. Several news outlets and Brian Windhorst reported about this, so I think this is legit. The biggest name seems to be off the trade block which makes the offseason much less interesting for contenders looking for a new superstar.

Yeah, for now we can dosed out that rumor already as it seems that Giannis committed to the Bucks and most likely there could be some bargain that they give in to Giannis that's why he will make a comeback to them.

But I'm seeing that there could be a lot of players around him that might be traded as it seems that it's not that competitive unlike when they won the ring that time. He had a lot of good players like Khris Middleton and Holiday. Although they got Lillard, he is inconsistent and Kyle Kuzma is not there yet to the level of what might they wanted him to be. For me Kuzma needed more to developed.

[MK-74]

Oklahoma City Thunder didn't do what they did in the first game and won the second game easily.
I said before that they would win the second game because they couldn't throw away their home advantage again.

Shai Gilgeous Alexander played great again.

It was also the first time since the 2019 Toronto Raptors that 5 players from a team scored 15+ points in the same game in the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma played really well the entire game and controlled the entire match from the very start and this is why they won this match easily. Pacers on the other hand still have an advantage because they won one away game and if they managed to win both games at home they might even win the entire thing

Pacers have the advantage right now because they have 2 home games but I believe Thunder will win one of them. There is a 90% chance that the series will be 2-2 in Game 4.

Oklahoma City Thunder didn't do what they did in the first game and won the second game easily.

They could have won the first game too if they hadn’t been careless.. they let the Pacers come back, and Hali’s game-winner sealed it. They learned from that and made the necessary adjustments, but that’s just one game. I still wouldn’t count the Pacers out since there are plenty of games left to play. The series is heading to Indiana, and you can bet they’ll do everything they can to protect their home court. But if OKC manages to steal a game there, the momentum will swing back in their favor.

I definitely agree, Thunder lost the first game due to their own mistakes.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander and his friends will not make that mistake again.

[Fundamentals Of]

Indiana on the other hand looked like they were complacent. Although their turnovers have improved a lot compared to their first game, it was still significant and OKC made a great deal of points out of those errors.

This is a long series, and adjustments are necessary after every game. We saw how OKC adjusted well, which led to their big win.

However, let’s not forget that the Pacers already stole a game on the road—that alone should give them more confidence, especially heading into Game 3 after a loss. If I were to bet on the Pacers, I’d go big in Game 3 and also take the over on the total, because I’m pretty sure their three-point shooting will bounce back as well.

Indiana could still do something. Their coach need to do certain good adjustment on this so that they could create a good plays to counter the fast phase and defensive plays of OKC.

Winning game 1 is somehow good but it doesn't mean anything for now since the series is so long. Now OKC wins for sure the momentum is in their side so Pacers need to work hard to beat up OKC if they really want to win the game 3 of this series.

They will do something. And I trust their coach big time as well. The experienced Rick Carlisle knows what he is doing next.

The momentum will probably turn to Indiana's favor in game 3 because the homecourt advantage would be theirs. It is a big factor playing in your own court in front of your own crowd. Their confidence would increase big time. I am also expecting more threes especially from Nesmith.

It is a big factor they have successfully seized a game in the Thunder's home. Even if they only manage to get one in the next two games in their city, their championship run would still remain very much alive.

[Fredomago]

Pacers needs everything that they can do to play good defense and offense as they'll going to play in their homecourt, fans participation will give them additional boost to work harder, let see if how they will execute whatever system that they are planning to use better to have that early offensive arsenal to avoid lacking of time trying to rally back then win the game, it's not always that they've got that opportunity to win the game.

I watched Game 2 again, and it's obvious that it's Haliburton who is missing in action during the first half of the game. Like what RJ said during that game, he should be aggressive at all times because it will open up a lot of his teammates to be an offensive threat, too.

Plus, they need to provide backup for Haliburton, too. He cannot be the burden during defensive stances. Maybe they need to watch tapes from the GSW defense where many teammates of Steph Curry are providing help when he is the target, and it happens a lot of times. Hali is now the target because he is weak on the defensive end, which has to change.

Hope to see that adjustment this upcoming game 3, they need to see those lapses which they need to cover like what you said, Hali needs help in terms of defense his teammates needs to address the adjustment that they need to cover and to fill this as OKC will keep aiming for this mismatch and take that advantage.

They need to work on good rotations as they need to play good defense to avoid giving OKC easy conversion, and adding to that, Hali also needs to be aggressive attacking as he can attract defense and it will be a good option passing the ball to an open man for much easy basket.

[Velvet78]

Home court advantage is not that big factor anymore since both team are good on the road game. They have a well balanced roster and consistent so it’s very hard for them to be distracted because of the crowd.

Indiana bench is performing the same high level of performance when they are on OKC which is typical home court advantage effect. Haliburton need to step up and keep pressuring OKC on all quarters instead of using his magic on the last quarter.

Worst is he has low stamina to keep up the same energy on all quarters .

Yeah maybe you are right about it. We all saw how Pacers got a legendary win in Game 1 despite not having homecourt advantage in the end.

By the way I liked the performance of Thunder bench in the last game. There was a huge score contribution. I think Thunder will be victorious tonight once again and right after they will come across an answer (hopefully  ).

Because I don't want this series to end too quickly...

[danherbias07]

Hope to see that adjustment this upcoming game 3, they need to see those lapses which they need to cover like what you said, Hali needs help in terms of defense his teammates needs to address the adjustment that they need to cover and to fill this as OKC will keep aiming for this mismatch and take that advantage.

They need to work on good rotations as they need to play good defense to avoid giving OKC easy conversion, and adding to that, Hali also needs to be aggressive attacking as he can attract defense and it will be a good option passing the ball to an open man for much easy basket.

Yeah, I hope so too.

The odds already came out, and despite being on homecourt advantage, the Indiana Pacers are still the underdogs on Game 3.
@2.70 money line for the Pacers and @1.45 for the OKC Thunder.

I also checked the injury reports, and only Jarace Walker was listed as ruled out to play. I think the Pacers are being underestimated again after that Game 2 in this series. But who can blame them? The OKC has lots of offensive power, and so does it on defense. Good luck to those who will risk their money on the Pacers bet.

[dwyane36]

I definitely agree, Thunder lost the first game due to their own mistakes.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander and his friends will not make that mistake again.

Just like the Pacers lost the second game because of their own completely unnecessary mistakes. I think that the Pacers players have also made the same conclusions, and in the upcoming game, I hope that their field goal percentage will be noticeably better than it was in the second game.

[freedomgo]

I definitely agree, Thunder lost the first game due to their own mistakes.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander and his friends will not make that mistake again.

Just like the Pacers lost the second game because of their own completely unnecessary mistakes. I think that the Pacers players have also made the same conclusions, and in the upcoming game, I hope that their field goal percentage will be noticeably better than it was in the second game.

That’s what you call an adjustment, they saw their mistakes and fixed them. Now it’s time for the Pacers to make their own adjustments, because they didn’t play the right kind of basketball in Game 2. Game 3 is the perfect opportunity, especially since they haven’t won a Game 3 in this entire playoff run. Maybe it’s time to break that streak.

And as for Hali, he got some criticism for his defense and poor shooting. Hopefully, we’ll see a strong performance from him in Game 3 and the Pacers can take the lead in the series again.

[Volgastallion]

I definitely agree, Thunder lost the first game due to their own mistakes.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander and his friends will not make that mistake again.

Just like the Pacers lost the second game because of their own completely unnecessary mistakes. I think that the Pacers players have also made the same conclusions, and in the upcoming game, I hope that their field goal percentage will be noticeably better than it was in the second game.

I dont see the second game sadly so i cant talk so much about it, but about the first one, the main factor or maybe better to say the two main factors who made you make unnecessary mistakes are, so much self confidence and fear of losing, so for me OKC suffer for the first one and Indiana by the second one.

[OgNasty]

The day is upon us. It felt like there was a long break since the last game. I have a gut feeling that Indiana is going to win it, but I don’t think that is the common thought on this series. After tonight I think we’ll have a better idea where this one is going to go. I just wish it wasn’t broadcast on ABC.

[Eternad]

I dont see the second game sadly so i cant talk so much about it, but about the first one, the main factor or maybe better to say the two main factors who made you make unnecessary mistakes are, so much self confidence and fear of losing, so for me OKC suffer for the first one and Indiana by the second one.

I don’t see much mistake on Pacers side on game 2 since they suffer a lot of turnover on Game 1 compared to Game 2.

OKC just overwhelmed Pacers on Game 2 due to their persistent attack with precision while having a strong defense back court. Pacers play the same phase and energy on Game 2 they are just overwhelmed.

They need to double the effort especially on defense in able to win on tomorrow match or else they are just relying that OKC will perform bad again on defense on the 4th quarter.