The NBA playoffs continued, and today the Pacers traveled to the Bucks to face the Bucks, and they lost to the Bucks 94-109, and the Bucks were unable to play due to injury. The Bucks, led by Lillard, easily defeated the Pacers. Lillard had 35 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, while the Pacers had 36 points and 13 rebounds for Siakam. Haliburton, the star of the Pacers, was sluggish, scoring without a double-double in the game, only scoring 9 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.
Obviously, in such a crucial game as the playoffs, Haliburton's nine points were not enough. We can clearly feel that Haliburton is not adjusting to the defensive intensity of the playoffs. Even under the Bucks' defense, he struggled to make shots. In fact, Haliburton's performance has dropped significantly since the mid-season game. After the midseason, Haliburton averaged just 16.5 points per game. The three-point shooting percentage is as low as 31%.
You know, Haliburton had a very good run before the midseason this season, and even this year he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter. But after the midseason, his shooting percentage dropped significantly, especially when it came to three-point shooting. I remember that not long ago, Haliburton talked about his declining form. He bluntly said that this has a direct correlation with the way opponents defend against him. He admits that his opponent is currently choosing to step forward and delay rather than sink when he blocks and pick-and-rolls, which makes his shots very difficult and more affected by defense.
There are many fans who believe that Haliburton is a highly overrated player. Previously, many fans thought that he was a bit like a combination of Curry and Nash, that his shooting was a bit like Curry, and his assists were a bit like Nash, but now his shooting is really far from Curry.
First of all, his shooting stability is completely incomparable to Curry's, and his accuracy is completely incomparable to Curry's. In addition, his shot is too slow, and it is difficult for him to complete a three-point shot even under the opponent's defense. Curry, on the other hand, only needs a few tenths of a second to make a quick shot. This is a stark contrast between him and Curry. That's why he couldn't shoot three-pointers when he was heavily defended. In addition, his body is also very thin, and he does not have the ability to rush to the basket, so many people think that Haliburton is easy to defend.
His style of play and the way he shoots his shots don't make him a particularly good attacker. He doesn't have Curry's speed or the pull-and-shoot ability of many stars. So if the opponent defends him tightly, he won't be able to score high points in every game. I wonder what the fans think?