The face of ESPN doesn’t have too many fans in Indiana.
After Stephen A. Smith laid into Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton after his pedestrian Game 5 performance in the NBA Finals and questioned his superstardom, Smith went after Indy’s point guard once again.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are up 3-2 against the Pacers in the Finals with Game Six taking place on Thursday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Haliburton’s status was in doubt as he has had to deal with a calf strain, but is going to give it a go.
And Smith believes that is going to work in OKC’s favor.
On ESPN’s NBA Countdown, Smith implored the Thunder take a bold approach in defending Indiana’s best player.
“Let me tell you something right now,” Smith said.
“This is gonna sound crazy, what I’m about to say. If I’m OKC, I actually employ the tactic of not pressing Haliburton too much because I know the brother is limited.
“Because he’s limited, let me let that facade be out there that he can go.
“I don’t want to deal with that energizer bunny T.J. McConnell because you have to remember that Haliburton’s limited.
“He can’t run. You might not want to force him out of the game early. You might not want to do that.”
That would be a bold play by Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault.
X/@AWFULANNOUNCINGSmith suggested the Thunder keep Haliburton on the court[/caption] Haliburton has struggled the last few gamesGettyYou usually want to get the other team’s best player off the court.
Not try and keep him on it.
However, Haliburton has struggled mightily overall against the Thunder and their tenacious and suffocating defense, and is also playing injured.
In Game 5, the Indiana star managed just four points, including zero made field goals.
Smith has lit into the two-time All-Star and his performance throughout the series, with a few backhanded compliments to boot.
The crowd booed Smith as he talked about their franchise player, as it was noticeably loud across the broadcast.
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