At the critical moment, it was a free throw missed and a turnover. The Pacers still have to use the wing star carefully?

In the previous NBA Finals G4, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers who played at home 111-104, tied the total score of the series to 2-2, and both sides also returned to the same starting line. Next, both sides will return to Oklahoma City to prepare for the Battle of the King of Kings in the Series G5, which may also greatly affect the final trend of the series.

In this game, the Pacers' substitute wing player Bennedict Mathurin did not perform well. Mathering played 13 minutes and 53 seconds in the whole game, made 1 of 2 shots, 1 of 2 from outside the three-point line, and 5 of 8 free throws, scoring 8 points and 2 rebounds, and also had 1 turnover and 2 fouls, with a plus-minus value of -5. Mathering also seemed to have scored some points and made some contributions on the offensive end, but the problem is that at the critical moment of the game, he made 1 of 4 free throws, only 1 point, and he also made two fouls. Mathering's performance on the court was very disappointing, and he made consecutive mistakes at critical moments. It is no exaggeration to say that if there were no Mathering, who would win and lose in this game might be an unknown. Mathering's series of performances were equivalent to giving up the victory directly to the opponent.

In the NBA regular season this season, Mathering played a total of 72 games in 82 games, averaging 29.8 minutes per game, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.3 blocks, and 1.9 turnovers and 2.3 fouls. He shot 45.8%, three-point shooting percentage 34%, and free throw shooting percentage 83.1%. In the playoffs, Matherin played 19 games in the first 20 games, averaging 16.6 minutes per game, averaging 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.2 blocks, and 1.2 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. His shooting percentage was 50.4%, a three-point shooting percentage of 32.6%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 86.5% during the playoffs. For example, in the series G3, he scored 27 points in various ways, making a huge contribution to the team's victory. However, the problem is that Mathering's performance in most games is relatively average, or even less than ideal. His poor shooting choices on the offensive end will directly affect the team's overall tactical system, and his contribution to the defensive end is very limited. Perhaps it was because of his outstanding performance in the previous game that Mathering was able to gain trust in this game and appear on the court at the last moment, but the facts also proved that the surprises cannot be magical in every game. Maybe the Pacers should use Mathering more cautiously in the next game?