In the chaos, how did the Pacers succeed in counterattack?

As the Pacers' core, Halliburton has performed poorly at the start of the season, and so has his team. Before the end of November 2024, the Pacers' record was only 6 wins and 10 losses, and the team's core position star point guard performed poorly, shooting percentage was only 38%, and three-point shooting percentage was only 29%.

The year before, Halliburton was also the core figure of the All-Star hosted by his hometown city, but this season he lost to the All-Star lineup.

Having said that, Halliburton and the Pacers have turned the disadvantage around. So far, when they faced the Cavaliers who had won 64 in the regular season in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, they have defeated their opponents 4-1 with a big score and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.

Haliburton has performed much better in the past few months, but it has also proved that his personal performance is a key factor in the team's success. The key point is how Halliburton becomes the controller of the team's rhythm, pushing the game to a super-high-speed rhythm, using his fast and accurate passes to execute the tactics quickly, and even completely make up for defensive loopholes.

As an efficient passer, Halliburton delivered an astonishing assist-turnover ratio of nearly 6:1 in the playoffs. Judging from this data, other defenders on the team cannot completely replace his value. But even so, they can still play a key role in the transmission system built around Halliburton, and jointly contributed to the Pacers' offensive system that uses offense instead of defense.

On the NBA stage, we have a special title for players who can only succeed in a specific team and a specific system: system players.

Haliburton seems to have this style at the moment, but he gives this word a different meaning. Although he is also a system player, the team system itself originates from him. Based on Halliburton's basketball vision, the team's playing style was finally defined.

Lakers last season were the top ten teams in the league with the last ten defensive efficiency, but this season, they have improved to the mid-level level of the league without any changes in their core team, ranking 13th in the league.

's change is mainly due to the Siakam they traded in the 2023-24 season. Thanks to his wingspan and speed conditions, coupled with his experience in the 2018-19 season, he has created huge troubles for his opponents that are not inferior to Halliburton on both offense and defense.

Although Halliburton, Nembhard, Nembuhad, Nesmith, and even Matherine can score in this offensive system where everyone has, what the Pacers really need is Siakam's stable ball-holding offense and the skills to create misalignment, which are the key weapons they can expand their advantage.

Ultimately, the Pacers' offensive threat comes from all directions on the field. They pay more attention to which step the ball has taken in the tactical system, rather than who will hold the ball and attack. They only put players who can score on the court, and these players are all waiting for the moment when the offensive opportunity appears. This balanced offensive situation is particularly evident in their first game of the semi-finals. The team's starting five tigers scored 17 points, 17 points, 13 points, 23 points and 22 points respectively.

For the Cavaliers, what is even more terrifying is that the Pacers' offense does not come from their usual fast-paced system, but from static fixed-point shooting. Although height and speed are not necessarily superior, the Pacers' guard players can always confidently make three-pointers in front of them.

Like the Pacers, the Cavaliers are not only a team composed of a group of outstanding players, but also a team with a clear tactical system. The idea of ​​each game is not limited to personal heroism, but due to injury factors in this series, Mitchell once again needs to carry the entire team alone. The ending this time is obviously not the result expected by a team ranked first in the East.

After the Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, it is highly likely that they will still use this fast-paced and team-based style of play and rely on the fast-paced to drag their opponents from the field to the offense and defensive rhythm they are used to.

This is not only a challenge for the Pacers, but also particularly critical for Halliburton. It is not only a chance to save the team, but also the best opportunity to elevate the entire team to a higher level.