Former NBA participant Channing Frye has come out and acknowledged the Indiana Pacers had been focusing on a star participant on the OKC Thunder in Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals.
The Indiana Pacers stole Recreation 1 on the highway after Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning shot to offer Rick Carlisle’s males a 111-110 win.
Haliburton, who got here out with an iconic line from Michael Jordan’s shoe industrial after the Recreation 1 heroics, was appreciated by his teammates for one more clutch shot.
The 25-year-old joins an elite firm of gamers like Reggie Miller and LeBron James, each of whom have essentially the most go-ahead or game-winning area objectives inside the final 5 seconds of the sport.
OKC Thunder, however, obtained one other sensible evening from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he scored 38 factors.
Nonetheless, the opposite stars on the Thunder didn’t get going towards the Pacers, particularly Chet Holmgren.
Former NBA participant Channing Frye acknowledged that Holmgren was not in a position to give his finest in Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals.
Holmgren scored six factors and grabbed simply six boards on 2-9 taking pictures from the sector.
He performed solely 23 minutes within the recreation, because the Pacers continued doubling and placing him in mismatches.
“I felt like every collection, or every recreation, they’re going to place a participant below duress, and sure gamers are going to step up, and sure gamers are going to get uncovered,” mentioned Frye when speaking about Holmgren’s efficiency.
“And tonight, it was Chet. I’m not saying it’s going to occur each recreation, however tonight, to get a win, they went at Chet to get a double workforce.”
He additionally added: “Everybody else was doing stable, and he simply didn’t do sufficient immediately to maintain what they wanted and hold the Pacers from occurring a run.”
Holmgren has been an instrumental a part of the Thunder workforce all through the common season and playoffs.
His two-way skill is elite, and his teammate Gilgeous-Alexander even known as him a successful participant after his elite efficiency in Recreation 4 towards the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 23-year-old has been sensible all through the playoffs, averaging 15.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 1.9 BPG.
He has scored a couple of necessary baskets and has additionally protected the paint properly in huge matchups.
Though Recreation 1 was a worrying efficiency, Holmgren is predicted to step up within the subsequent matchup and assist the Thunder recover from the road.
