“22 turnovers against a team like this is a recipe for disaster.” That was Tyrese Haliburton’s first and most important takeaway after the Oklahoma City Thunder cooked the Pacers in a pivotal Game 5. Forget the final score for a second. Forget his injury too. In a game where Jalen Williams went off for 40 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31, the Pacers’ leader wasn’t focused on the Thunder’s stars. He was looking right in the mirror. And he wasn’t making any excuses.

In his post-game press conference, Haliburton took the blame for the loss, focusing entirely on the team’s self-inflicted wounds. “I feel like especially there in the fourth we had some really bad turnovers. Me, myself personally,” he admitted, despite clearly being hobbled by an injury. “We got to do a better job of taking care of the ball… if we want to have a chance.”

That’s leadership. But it’s also only half the story. Remember Game 2, when he was noticeably limping after the loss? He brushed it off then, but in Game 5, that same issue seemed to return with a vengeance. The truth is, he wasn’t himself. This wasn’t the same guy who has been a stone-cold killer in the clutch all postseason. The calf injury clearly flared up, forcing him to the locker room in the first quarter. He later confessed, reluctantly, “Yeah, I mean it’s the same area… I don’t know if they’re related. But yeah, it’s the same area.” That physical limitation is the context for the fourth-quarter meltdown. In fact, in the 34 minutes that Tyrese clocked in, he was only able to score 4 points!

So, with Haliburton compromised, the Pacers’ offense fell apart when it mattered most. The gutsy third-quarter comeback, led by T.J. McConnell and Pascal Siakam, proved they have fighters. But the chaotic finish proved they don’t have a closer without their floor general. That’s why Haliburton’s next words felt like a direct challenge to his entire team.

“You got to look at Game Six like it’s a Game Seven,” he stated, his voice firm. “There shouldn’t even be a conversation about Game Seven or anything like that. Like you know this is the game. And it starts with me… we all got to be better. Point blank period.”

He knows the fans in Indiana, who have waited 25 years for this moment, will be ready for that Game 7 atmosphere. “I think that our city, our fans are… as hungry for this as we are as players,” he said. “Nobody said this was going to be easy.” Now, with their backs against the wall, it’s on him and the rest of the Pacers to prove they’re hungry enough to save their season.

Thunderstruck: How OKC’s defense silenced a furious Pacers comeback.

The problem for Indiana is that while they’re searching for answers, the Thunder seem to have found their championship formula. The Game 5 victory wasn’t just a win; it was a dominant performance from their two young stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who combined for a staggering 71 points.

Williams, in particular, looked like he was on another planet. His 40-point explosion was a masterclass in aggressive, efficient scoring. “I’m just out there being aggressive,” he said after the game, a simple statement that undersells the force he played with. He attacked the rim relentlessly, draining tough fadeaways and living at the free-throw line. According to his coach, Mark Daigneault, that’s when he’s at his best. “When he’s at his best, he plays with force,” Daigneault said.

That force creates a massive problem for the Pacers. With so much defensive attention rightfully focused on SGA, the league MVP, Williams has been feasting. And Shai is more than happy to let him eat. “Makes a world of difference,” SGA said about Williams’ elevated play.

After being criticized for having zero assists in Game 4, the MVP responded with 10 assists in Game 5, constantly making the right read when Indiana sent help his way. “It always starts defensively for us,” Shai explained, noting how their defense created easy offense. “Because of three or four steals in a row, we were able to get out and run and get easy baskets.”

That’s the nightmare scenario for the Pacers heading into Game 6. While the Pacers have shown incredible fight, as Pascal Siakam noted post-game, “We continued to fight no matter what, and we gave ourselves a chance,” that fight now runs into a two-headed monster that is just one win away from a championship.

So how do the Pacers possibly stop this? According to coach Rick Carlisle, it’s not about finding a magic defensive scheme for OKC’s stars, but about cleaning up their own mistakes. “The problems that hindered us in the fourth quarter were an inability to rebound the ball, unnecessary fouls,” he explained. “Those things have us taking the ball out of bounds… then they can really set their defense. Then the game becomes slower.”

It all comes back to Haliburton’s point: turnovers. The Thunder scored 32 points off of Indiana’s 23 turnovers. That’s the game right there. For the Pacers to have any shot in Game 6, it won’t be enough just to fight. They have to be smarter, more disciplined, and take care of the basketball. Their season depends on it.