When the Pacers first started winning after a loss, it seemed to be just the regular-season touch. But now, it’s much more serious. With the Finals back in Indiana for the first time in 25 years, the crowd was witness to a thriller. The home team didn’t disappoint. And while it was a well-rounded team effort from the Pacers, one individual stood out.

Bennedict Mathurin moved the pendulum ever so slightly into the Pacers’ direction in a game that witnessed 15 game ties. The Pacers’ Sixth Man lived up to his reputation. He scored the ball past one of the best defenses in the league. Ending with a game-high 27 points, Mathurin led the bench charge for the Pacers.

It was a decisive strike. The Pacers’ bench outscored the Thunder’s 49-18. Without Bennedict Maturin’s sumptuous fourth quarter performance, maybe the turnaround wouldn’t have even been possible. He might not have received a formal apology from former NBA pro Iman Shumpert.

“Indiana right now, they are doing the job that they need to do. Like, that is unbelievable. I didn’t, and before the game, I didn’t talk about him at all. We, I don’t think any of us did. Benedict Mathurin, I apologize. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know we needed to do this before the game. I apologize. But in the post game, you’re going to get your flowers, young man,” he said on Hoop Collective.

The former champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers has become a fan of the Pacers guard. But more than that, he feels the Pacers’ depth and relentless burst is far more threatening than an in-tune Oklahoma City Thunder team.

“It’s like, what happens when all of them are turned up? Like, who can stop them? What happens when they’re not playing within two, three possessions with you all the way until three minutes? Like, what happens if they just start clicking and you’re down 15? Like, can anybody come back for 15 when they’re clicking? That’s what scares me about them,” he added.

The Pacers’ bench was incredible in a pivotal Game 3 win for the team. However, it was still hard to disregard Tyrese Haliburton’s night.

Netflix makes a “perfect’ choice

Haliburton is having a dream season since being called ‘overrated’. He’s broken the Pacers’ finals slump while balling out. Most importantly, though, everything seems to be falling in place at the right time. He had his father, John Haliburton, sit courtside after his brief ban. And in his presence, he has the best Finals game of his career.

Hali flirted with a triple-double. Recording 22 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds, he served as the tireless engine that has fueled this magical Finals run for Indiana. But there’s so much more coming for the young superstar.

Haliburton is one of the five players who will be in front of the cameras for Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’. And after this win, the cameras caught a moment of joy he shared with his father. Shumpert was pleased to see the Pacers’ playmaking wizard get his credit. Moreover, he also thinks his role in the docuseries couldn’t come at a better time.

“Oh yeah. It’s perfect. I think it’s so fitting that they picked him,” he told Brian Windhorst.

Having his NBA Finals journey being documented in itself was huge. However, now the Indiana Pacers hold the upper hand in the tie. Teams to have a 2-1 series lead in the Finals have won the title 80.5% of the time over the last 41 series. Their improbable run could meet an end that not even the wildest thinkers could have envisioned.

Do you think Tyrese Haliburton could put them one foot away from it in Game 4 at Indiana? Let us know your views in the comments below.