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INDIANAPOLIS— To capture the NBA championship, a team doesn’t necessarily need to dominate defensively across the league. However, even the most proficient offensive teams must still achieve a reasonable degree of defensive performance to clinch four playoff series.
In the 2022-23 season, the Denver Nuggets ranked 15th in defensive performance during the regular season but elevated their game defensively in the playoffs. They restricted the Miami Heat to just one point per possession while clinching their last three games to secure their inaugural championship.
Fast forward two years, and the Indiana Pacers find themselves just two victories away from claiming their first NBA title, thanks in part to strong defensive plays in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
While the Pacers leaned heavily on their offensive capabilities in the earlier playoff rounds, they realized that even the league’s top offensive team must be bolstered by solid defense for ultimate success. This necessitated that they excel defensively to clinch key victories.
In Game 2, Indiana’s defense faltered during the pick-and-roll, resulting in their highest points allowed in a postseason game (123 points on 97 possessions). Upon returning to Indiana for the series, they made adjustments, intensifying their defensive game and overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit to gain a 2-1 series lead.
Here are some insights, statistics, and analysis of how Indiana managed to restrict the Oklahoma City Thunder to the poorest offensive quarter of the series (18 points on 24 possessions) …
During the first 11 minutes of the fourth quarter, the Pacers encountered only one defensive lapse. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set up a “flex” screen for Chet Holmgren, who scored a layup that put the Thunder ahead by four points with 9:44 remaining; Obi Toppin got caught by the screen, and Andrew Nembhard lost focus momentarily.
Aside from that, the Pacers impressively navigated screens, executed switches, and maintained solid rotations. The Thunder’s first two field goals in the quarter were difficult, closely contested shots from Cason Wallace and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Although the Pacers’ defense may not match the disruptive nature of Oklahoma City’s, they excel at applying ball pressure like no other team. According to Second Spectrum tracking, they have pressured opponents bringing the ball up the court on 38% of defensive possessions—significantly the highest in the playoffs, with Orlando trailing at 31%.
In addition to initial ball pressure, they made it challenging for the Thunder to initiate their plays through passing.
After Holmgren’s layup and a shot clock violation on the other end, Jalen Williams picked up his dribble after crossing midcourt, looking to pass to Gilgeous-Alexander. However, Nembhard thwarted the MVP, and Toppin denied Hartenstein’s position. With Bennedict Mathurin closely guarding him, Williams ultimately turned the ball over …
This miscue was one of the Thunder’s 13 live-ball turnovers, the highest number they’ve recorded in the playoffs and the second-most throughout their entire season (in 101 games).
The next errant pass came on the following possession. After Nembhard scored, T.J. McConnell intercepted the Thunder’s inbounds pass for the third time, quickly tying the game with a layup …
Following Tyrese Haliburton’s three-pointer that put the Pacers ahead 101-98, the Thunder took a timeout to design a play for Gilgeous-Alexander. He was to come off a screen from Lu Dort in the left corner for a handoff from Hartenstein.
However, Dort was unable to set a solid screen on Nembhard, finding himself behind Gilgeous-Alexander as if in a conga line. With Nembhard tagged to the intended recipient, Hartenstein gave the ball to Dort instead.
Dort passed to Gilgeous-Alexander and attempted to set a screen, but Haliburton effectively maintained his ground against the MVP, forcing a travel …
In Game 3, the Thunder only set five screens for Gilgeous-Alexander, significantly fewer than the 14 in Game 1 and eight in Game 2.
Myles Turner was notably more proactive with his pick-and-roll defense in Game 3. Based on Second Spectrum tracking, he employed “blitz” or “show” coverage on 17 of the 33 ball screens he contested (52%), an increase from 20% (11/55) in the first two games.
This adjustment led to some early layups and open corner three-point opportunities for the Thunder. Nevertheless, like the rest of the Pacers, Turner excelled defensively in the fourth quarter.
Midway through, he contested a Hartenstein screen for Williams well beyond the three-point line but recovered swiftly to prevent Hartenstein from securing a clear shot. Three possessions later, he blocked Chet Holmgren’s drive.
With a little more than two minutes remaining and the Pacers leading by six, Turner executed perhaps the most significant defensive plays of his career.
He again extended his defense beyond the three-point line during a screen involving Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander but kept Haliburton nearby to disrupt Holmgren’s roll to the basket. Turner returned to his designated man to assist against Williams’ drive …
On the subsequent possession, when Williams passed to Holmgren, Turner closed out and blocked Holmgren’s three-point attempt. Although Holmgren retrieved the ball, Turner was there to deny another drive to the basket …
Turner’s five blocks during this game matched his career-high for a playoff contest and were the most by any player in a Finals game over the last three years. Overall, while the Pacers performed better with Turner off the court in Game 3, he made impactful contributions during critical moments.
Regardless of the coverage employed by the screener’s defender, it remains essential for the defender of the ball-handler to avoid being hindered by the screen. This had been a concern for the Pacers in Game 2, but Aaron Nesmith executed standout navigation around screens to secure a vital stop in the fourth quarter on Wednesday.
After Nesmith drained a crucial catch-and-shoot three-pointer, putting the Pacers up by eight with 3:03 left, he picked up Williams in the backcourt and skillfully dodged two screens from Holmgren, one in the backcourt and another at the logo. By maneuvering underneath the screens, he prevented Williams from gaining momentum against Turner.
A final Holmgren screen did make contact, but Nesmith skillfully employed a “swim” technique to evade the big man, and, with help from Turner, he was able to recover and get in front of Williams before he could drive to the rim …
Nesmith maintained pressure, and when Williams attempted to pivot away from him, Pascal Siakam joined in to create additional pressure, resulting in another live-ball turnover …
The Pacers may not be as defensively dominant as the Thunder, but they certainly commit to playing tough defense. Their defensive intensity ramped up during the final 12 minutes of Game 3, they haven’t lost back-to-back games in over three months, and now they gear up for a pivotal Game 4 on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
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John Schuhmann, a senior stats analyst for NBA.com, can be reached via email here, view his archive here, and follow him on X.
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