The NBA Finals can be super stressful, and it’s not just the players on the court who are feeling the intense heat. Sometimes, the drama spills over to the sidelines, and that’s exactly what happened during the Indiana Pacers’ tough 123-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2. After Tyrese Haliburton’s girlfriend, Jade Jones, reportedly got into it with a fan, she’s now turning the page and sending a powerful message to the home crowd as the series shifts back to Indy for a massive Game 3.

Let’s quickly recap the sideline drama that had everyone talking after Game 2. As the Pacers were struggling, Jade, who had traveled to Oklahoma City to support her man, was spotted getting into a very animated, heated exchange with some Thunder fans. Wearing a noticeable all-black outfit that made her stick out in a sea of blue shirts, she was seen on the broadcast standing up and appearing to yell at the fans around her.

It’s the kind of moment that shows just how invested family members are, feeling every single play. The video quickly went viral, with some fans on social media praising her passion, calling her a “real one” and saying they “love it tbh… she standing on business for her man.” Others, of course, were critical, with one user writing, “Talking crazy when yo bf only had 5 points is insane.”

But this isn’t the first time Jade has shown her passionate, all-in support for Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers during this Finals run. After their huge Game 1 win, she famously posted “3 MORE !!!!” on her Instagram, a super confident message that let everyone know they were there to win it all.

Now, with the series tied and heading back to Indianapolis, she’s turning her focus from the courtside hecklers to her home crowd. On her Instagram story, she posted a fantastic photo of herself standing proudly in front of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, rocking a Pacers-themed denim skirt. Her caption was a simple, but powerful, four-word rallying cry: “who’s ready!!!! 💛💛💛 game 3!!!”

Her next story post drove that point home even further, showing Tyrese arriving back in Indy, looking sharp in a black suit. The energy is shifting, and Jade is leading the charge to make sure Gainbridge Fieldhouse is an absolute madhouse for Game 3. And what a moment it’s going to be. This isn’t just any home game; this is the first NBA Finals game to be played in Indianapolis in 25 years! The last time the city hosted a game this big was way back in 2000. After all the drama of Game 2, she’s making it clear that the focus is now on Game 3, and she expects every single Pacers fan to bring the energy.

Can the Pacers win with their star playing his way?

While the off-court drama and fan hype are ramping up, a huge, nagging question is hanging over this Pacers team as they head home for Game 3: Can they actually win this series if Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t become a different player?

Let’s be real, Game 2 was a struggle for Haliburton, especially compared to his Game 1 heroics. He scored just five points through the first three quarters, looking almost invisible at times against OKC’s relentless defenders like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace. He finished with 17 points, but most of that came late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach. He also had five turnovers. It was easily his sloppiest game of the postseason.

After the game, coach Rick Carlisle, knowing exactly what kind of hot takes were coming, immediately tried to douse the flames. “There’s a lot more to the game than just scoring,” Carlisle said bluntly, adding, “We are an ecosystem that has to function together… who gets them and how they get them is not important.”

And this gets to the heart of the puzzle. The Pacers’ greatest strength is their team environment, the ecosystem their coach was talking about—that super-fast, pass-happy, “everyone touches the ball” offense that’s so much fun to watch. It’s built around Haliburton’s genius as a playmaker, not as a high-volume scorer. His usage rate in the regular season was just 21.6%. He’s not a guy who dominates the ball like James Harden. He’s more like a modern Jason Kidd or Steve Nash, being the mastermind behind the chaos. That’s his game.

But here’s the problem: when this team runs into a buzzsaw defense like OKC’s, which is stacked with elite, harassing defenders, and the ball movement stalls, what’s Plan B? The fans and the analysts would want Haliburton to step up and take 25-30 shots because that’s what we expect from superstars in the Finals.

The stats create an even more confusing picture. Yes, Haliburton isn’t a high-usage scorer by nature. But the numbers also show that when he does score more, the Pacers are a much, much better team. This season, they were a staggering 32-4 when he scored over 20 points, compared to just 27-28 when he didn’t. That’s a pretty convincing argument that his aggression is a key to their success. Haliburton himself seems to be wrestling with this. He admitted that against OKC’s defense, he needs to get away from relying on ball screens that allow them to load up, pack the paint, but he also acknowledged, “I had some really dumb turnovers tonight.”

So, what’s the answer? Does Haliburton abandon the unselfish, pass-first game that made him a star and got his team to the Finals? Or does he stick to the Pacers’ formula and trust that their ball movement will eventually solve OKC’s defense? It would be foolish to expect him to completely change his stripes overnight. But for the Pacers to win three more games, he might just need to find that perfect balance between being a brilliant playmaker and, when his team needs it most, a cold-blooded scorer. It’s a tough riddle to solve, and the fate of their championship dreams might just depend on it.