Tyrese Haliburton has been about as stingy with the ball as one can get.
The Pacers’ point guard is averaging just 1.9 turnovers per game during this Indiana playoff run.
His turnover ratio is sitting at just 7.0, a ridiculous number for a player who handles the ball as often as Haliburton does.
It won’t be that easy in the NBA Finals, which tips off Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder have been absolutely dominant on the defensive end in the postseason, forcing a whopping 18 turnovers per game, which is nearly 2.5 more than any other team in the playoff field.
OKC has a rotation full of athletic wings that could cause problems for Haliburton, who didn’t exactly have the toughest of tests during the Pacers’ run through the Eastern Conference.
In the first two rounds, the Pacers took on two teams – the Bucks and Cavaliers – who lack the guards and wings to stop a player like Haliburton on the perimeter.
Despite some strong defenders on paper, the Knicks were a below-average defensive team all season before Haliburton carved them up in the East finals.
The Thunder, who are being talked about as one of the best defensive teams in recent NBA history, are a different story.
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They’ll likely send out a murderer’s row of Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso against Haliburton, with switchables bigs like Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on the back-end.
If the regular season is any indication, Dort will likely guard Haliburton to start out the series.
Bet on Haliburton to give the ball up at a much higher rate in this series than he has the rest of this cinderella run.
The play: Tyrese Haliburton Over 2.5 turnovers (+110, bet365 Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
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